Roman silver coins are back in the news. In western Germany, a licensed metal detectorist named Oliver Riedl uncovered 934 Roman silver denarii in a field near Wesseling, just south of Cologne. The hoard weighs about 6.8 pounds and is now on display at the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn. For families in Burbank, the story carries a timeless lesson: silver has been trusted savings for nearly two thousand years, and old silver coins may be sitting in your own home right now.
What the Wesseling Hoard Tells Us About Roman Silver Coins
Archaeologists believe the coins were buried on purpose between A.D. 125 and 150, during or shortly after the reign of Emperor Hadrian. According to Fox News, officials call it the largest coin hoard from Hadrian’s era ever found in Germany. Riedl turned up 15 coins, noticed his detector kept signaling, and wisely called the authorities rather than digging alone. Experts then recovered all 934 coins.
Who owned this much silver? Nobody knows. Ancient history professor Johannes Wienand told Fox News it looks like the life savings of one person who buried the pot for later and never returned to dig it up. A Roman legionary earned roughly 300 denarii a year, so the hoard equals about three years of a soldier’s gross pay, and saving that much would have taken six, seven or even more years.
Why Romans Trusted Silver Coins
The denarius was Rome’s standard silver coin for centuries. First struck around 211 B.C., the early versions held roughly 4.5 grams of nearly pure silver, so a coin was worth about what its metal was worth. People understood that silver could be carried, hidden, traded or saved no matter who sat on the throne. Over time, emperors stretched the supply by cutting the silver content, and as the metal thinned, trust in the money thinned with it.
The same instinct explains why families still hold on to silver today. Coins, flatware and jewelry made of precious metal keep a value that does not depend on a bank or a government promise.
Old Silver Coins Burbank Families Might Own
You do not need to find a Roman hoard to own something worthwhile. Many local homes hold old silver coins without the owners realizing it. Here is what to look for:
- U.S. dimes, quarters and half dollars dated 1964 or earlier, which are 90 percent silver
- Morgan and Peace silver dollars
- Foreign silver coins collected by relatives who traveled or emigrated
- Ancient silver coins brought home as souvenirs or bought at auction
- Sterling silver flatware, tea sets and trays
- Silver bars and rounds, including American Silver Eagles
How Old Silver Coins Are Valued
Every silver coin has two layers of value. The first is metal value: the amount of silver in the coin multiplied by the day’s spot price. Silver has swung sharply this year, so the same coin can be worth noticeably more or less from one month to the next. The second layer is collector value, which depends on the date, mint, rarity and condition. A common coin may be worth little more than its metal, while a scarce one can bring many times that.
Ancient coins follow the same logic. The ruler, the design, how well the portrait survived and how common the type is all matter, and many ordinary Roman denarii sell for modest sums compared with rare ones. Whatever you own, never clean it. Polishing leaves tiny scratches and can erase the very details collectors pay for.
Watch: The Roman Silver Coins Found Near Cologne
This short news video shows the Wesseling discovery and the coins that Riedl’s metal detector led him to.
Sell Silver Coins in Burbank Instead of Visiting a Pawn Shop
If you decide to sell silver coins, choose a buyer who can tell scrap from a collectible. A generic pawn shop usually prices everything by weight and makes a low offer. Paul Albanian and Associates LLC has been buying precious metals, coins and fine jewelry in the San Fernando Valley, right here in Burbank, for more than 30 years. Whether you own Roman silver coins or a jar of old American dimes, your items are examined carefully, the value is explained plainly and the offer is fair, so you can make some extra money from things sitting in a drawer.
This matters most during an estate sale. If your family is clearing out a parent’s home, gather the coins, fine jewelry, silver and gold before the sale starts so they do not leave the house at garage-sale prices. A trusted gold dealer can turn an inherited collection into cash without the hassle of listing items online or meeting strangers.
Someone in Roman Germany buried a lifetime of savings and never came back for it. You can learn from that story by finding out what your own silver is worth. A coin dealer Burbank families trust and a precious metal dealer Burbank customers rely on can help you do exactly that. Bring in your silver, gold, platinum, coins or jewelry and learn what they are worth today.