Ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine gold and silver coins — the main types, their typical weights, and the current value of the precious metal they contain, based on the live gold and silver price (updated every 15 minutes).
| Coin | Metal | Typ. weight | Purity | Metal value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ancient Greek coins | ||||
| Gold stater (Philip II / Alexander) Greek, 4th c. BC · Macedonian gold, nearly pure | Gold | 8.6 g | 98% | $1,161 |
| Silver tetradrachm (Athenian 'owl') Greek, 5th c. BC · The iconic four-drachma coin | Silver | 17.2 g | 98% | $34.84 |
| Silver drachma (Attic) Greek, 5th c. BC · Everyday high-value coin | Silver | 4.3 g | 97% | $8.62 |
| Roman coins | ||||
| Aureus (Augustus) Roman, ~15 BC · Early imperial gold | Gold | 7.8 g | 99% | $1,064 |
| Denarius (Augustus) Roman, ~15 BC · Early denarius, high silver content | Silver | 3.9 g | 98% | $7.90 |
| Antoninianus (Caracalla) Roman, 215 AD · The 'double denarius', already only ~50% silver | Silver | 5.1 g | 50% | $5.27 |
| Antoninianus (Gallienus) Roman, ~265 AD · Debasement's end: ~4% silver | Silver | 3.5 g | 4% | $0.29 |
| Solidus (Constantine) Roman, 309 AD · The new, stable gold standard | Gold | 4.5 g | 99% | $614 |
| Byzantine coins | ||||
| Nomisma / solidus Byzantine, 6th–10th c. · Stable at ~4.5 g for nearly 700 years | Gold | 4.5 g | 97% | $601 |
| Debased nomisma Byzantine, ~1080s · The 11th-century gold collapse | Gold | 4.4 g | 25% | $152 |
| Hyperpyron (Alexios I reform) Byzantine, 1092 · Post-reform, ~20.5 carats | Gold | 4.45 g | 85% | $521 |
| Gold sovereign (modern) since 1817 · The familiar benchmark — see its price | Gold | 7.99 g | 92% | $1,009 |
Calculation: typical weight × fineness × the current price per gram. Today: gold $137.78/g, silver $2.07/g — last updated: 2026/09/26 03:00. Weights and finenesses are indicative; real coins vary by mint, ruler and wear. Electrum (the natural gold–silver alloy of the earliest Lydian coins) is excluded, as its ratio varies.
The Roman denarius began as almost pure silver. Over two and a half centuries, emperors steadily cut its silver content to cover the costs of the state: from ~98% under Augustus, to ~50% when Caracalla introduced the antoninianus (215 AD), and just ~4% by the time of Gallienus (~265 AD). It is, in essence, inflation in metallic form — nearly 1,800 years before the word itself was coined.
The gold solidus established by Constantine the Great (309 AD) held its weight and purity — about 4.5 g of nearly pure gold — for close to 700 years, something unique in monetary history. Its stability collapsed only in the 11th century, when the Byzantine coinage was dramatically debased. The reform of Alexios I Komnenos in 1092 partly restored its value with the new hyperpyron (~20.5 carats).