MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY'S ANCIENT COIN COLLECTION

There is something instinctive that happens when we hold a coin in our hands.

First comes the movement, the way it balances between thumb and forefinger, turning over almost absent-mindedly as we examine its surface. Then comes the heat, as the round metal settles into the fold of our palm and slowly absorbs our warmth. In that moment, a small object becomes symbolic of a much larger history carried across generations, empires and continents.

It is a sensation that we experience less often. In an increasingly cashless society and digitised world, the physical presence of coins is slowly fading from everyday life.

At Macquarie University's Australian Centre for Ancient Numismatic Studies (ACANS), however, that connection is exactly what the institution exists to preserve, home to one of Australia's most significant collections of ancient coins.

Inside its vault and across its long worktables is a space designed for careful handling, study and collaboration - where each object is treated not simply as an artefact, but as a fragment of a much larger story.

More recently, the preservation of these stories has taken on a new form. ACANS has begun the meticulous process of digitising its entire collection, creating detailed records that will allow the coins to be studied, shared and explored far beyond the walls of the vault itself.

Associate Professor Peter Edwell, recently appointed as Director of ACANS, is overseeing the project. It was the brainchild of the centre's now retired former director, Ken Sheedy. Edwell hopes the digitised collection will make it easier to explore individual coins and themes in detail.

"In having around 6,000- 7,000 coins in this collection, we want to be able to access those in in a way that is accessible beyond just visiting the centre in person," says Edwell.

"But we need that data to be accurate, consistent and also searchable. Which then allows you to go into the collection and search for specific images like a horse, for example, or a particular ruler, like Emperor Marcus Aurelius.

"It also allows us to feed into that broader numismatic community. Even though we are well regarded internationally, it will help us connect more closely with organisations such as the American Numismatic Society."

But this process is no easy feat. Each coin must first be photographed, catalogued and accurately identified - a challenging process when dealing with objects that have survived for centuries and travelled thousands of kilometres from their place of origin.

As Edwell explains, parts of the collection reveal just how interconnected the ancient world was. Roman gold coinage has been unearthed in Vietnam, Roman silver in India and Athenian silver coinage in Arabia.

Photographing the ACANS coin collection

Alongside Roman imperial portraits and Greek mythological designs, the collection includes some of the most recognisable ancient coins, from Athenian "owl" tetradrachms to Corinthian Pegasus staters, as well as a diverse collection of Roman Republican coinage.

Others, coated in fingerprints as much as they are in history, include the enigmatic lion coins struck in ancient Thrace by an unidentified mint - small silver pieces dating back more than 2,000 years that continue to baffle historians, their origins still widely debated.

"Coins are very important as historical sources," explains Edwell.

"One of the reasons for that is they're contemporary. The rulers have chosen the images and design very carefully and deliberately as part of the way to legitimate their own power, positions and communicate information out to the populations that they're in control of."

To read the complete article, see:
How a priceless collection of ancient coins reveal the changing face of history (https://lighthouse.mq.edu.au/article/2026/june-2026/how-a-priceless-collection-of-ancient-coins-reveal-the-changing-face-of-history)

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