Philip Kiernan, University at Buffalo faculty member rediscovered 40 silver Greek coins, three gold Greek coins and a dozen gold Roman coins — one from each era of the first 12 Roman emperors, from Julius Caesar to Domitian in University at Buffalo Library.
He heard a rumor from a UB alumnus in 2010 that the UB Libraries housed the rare coins and he went looking for them.
“I saw these trays and thought, oh this is some kind of reproductive set from the early 20th century, some kind of copies,” Kiernan said on Wednesday, displaying the find for reporters. “However, when we opened up the trays and pulled out the coins – nope, they’re perfectly good ancient coins.”
There were three wood-framed glass trays, one holding the 12 gold Roman coins and the other two holding 40 silver Greek coins. A small leather pouch contained an additional three gold Greek coins. The newest of the lot is from the first century AD.
“I must have been the first person to touch them in almost 40 years,” says Kiernan, who brought in two experts to verify the coins’ authenticity last semester and is now developing a graduate course to examine the items’ history.
“Libraries are becoming museums,” says Michael Basinski, curator of the UB Libraries Special Collections. “Everything is going digital, but we remain tied to the physical objects.”
The coins were donated in 1935 to the UB Libraries Special Collections from Buffalo lawyer Thomas B. Lockwood as part of a larger collection of rare books. Lockwood had also funded construction of UB’s Lockwood Memorial Library. Lockwood, described by Basinski as “a gentleman’s collector”, had bought the coins at an auction of a Danish collector’s estate in 1925. It’s unknown how much he paid.
One of the coins, from the era of the Roman emperor Otho, contains an apparent mistake in the engraving. On its reverse side, the Roman goddess of security, Securitas, holds a wreath and cornucopia, instead of her usual wreath and scepter. It’s one of countless tidbits to be explored.
Source: University at Buffalo
