These are my holed coin galleries:

Hellenic Coins — Roman Republican and Augustan Coins — First Century Roman Coins — Second Century Roman Coins — Third Century Roman Coins — Fourth Century Roman Coins — Fifth Century Roman Coins — Byzantine or Romaion Coins of Later Centuries — Other Holed Coins of Varying Origins and Times

hese pages of holed coins illustrate an interest of mine. Why would someone make a hole in a coin? The previous page looks at some of the possible reasons and types of hole.

A silver trihemiobol from Thasos in Thrace, 411-350 CE.

For the collector, a holed coin is more accessible than an undamaged one because it will cost less. This is a great opportunity. If the hole is well placed, all the important aspects of the coin will still be there, and there is added value for me in knowing that the coin has a history. And I'm not alone in seeing interest in this. On the page after this gallery is Pierre Monney's story of how he traced the recent history of one of his own holed coins.

A gold tremissis of the emperor Constans II, 647-651 CE.

To display one side of a coin reliably, a small metal loop would be fixed through the hole and used to attach the coin to (for example) a cord or necklace. Simply looping a cord through the hole would display either side at random. If someone has taken the trouble to adapt a coin like this, it usually means it was special to its owner in some way. This individuality makes these coins very interesting and intriguing.

Here, you can see the ancients from three or four directions at once. You can see the official messages to the people represented by the coins; the methods of manufacture, which give an indication of ancient technology; the way the holes were made gives another glimpse; and the choice of coins to use this way, and their patterns of wear, give that extra personal touch.