Ancient Coin Collection

Bonus Episode: Questions & Answers   Join Annabel Schooling and Dr Tim Wright on this special bonus episode as they answer questions from subscribers, friends, and family. Tune in—you might just hear your own question answered. The YouTube channel hosting the video versions of these podcasts, @ancient_coin_collection , has reached over 300,000 views, with 20,000 subscribers and more than 230 l...

Episode 5: Crime delves into the darker side of numismatics, examining the crimes that have been committed in association with ancient antiquities, with a particular focus on the Naxos Tetradrachm. This concluding episode explores the legal concept of “cultural property,” which is protected by national legislation and international agreements. It tackles a complex and often controversial landscape...

Episode 4: Economics  traces the remarkable financial journey of the Naxos Tetradrachm, using it as a lens to examine how the market for ancient coins has evolved over the past two centuries. From its first recorded auction in 1824—when an example from the collection of Baron Thomas Dimsdale sold for £5.75—to a recent high-profile sale from the Prince Saud bin Al-Thani collection for almost half a...

Episode 3: Provenance traces the remarkable afterlife of the Naxos Tetradrachm by following the collectors who owned it over the past 250 years. Part 3 redresses the balance of this traditionally male-dominated pursuit by highlighting some of the most significant women collectors, from royal figures and heiresses to leading women in the field today. Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to our YouTube c...

Episode 3: Provenance traces the remarkable afterlife of the Naxos Tetradrachm by following the collectors who owned it over the past 250 years. In Part 1, we go back to the origins of coin collecting as the so-called “Hobby of Kings,” exploring how monarchs, princes, and aristocrats first assembled collections—and meeting a few of the more eccentric personalities along the way. Enjoyed this episo...

Episode 3: Provenance traces the remarkable afterlife of the Naxos Tetradrachm by following the collectors who owned it over the past 250 years. Part 2 moves into the nineteenth century, when coin collecting spread beyond courtly circles and became a fashionable “gentleman’s pastime,” particularly among the rising professional classes, from doctors to lawyers. Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to ou...

In our first season, Annabel Schooling interviews Dr Tim Wright about his book Travels with the Naxos Masterpiece , published by Spink in 2025.  We learn that this is an 'object biography', telling a big story through a small object: a 17g silver coin minted around 460 BC in the Greek city of Naxos, Sicily. Through the lenses of art, history, provenance, economics and crime, Tim sheds li...

The first episode, in two parts, examines the famous Naxos coin from an artistic perspective. By exploring the coin's subjects, style, composition and engraver, Tim starts to answer the question why some consider it a numismatic masterpiece. As we shall hear in subsequent episodes, the Naxos coin is so highly prized that it has taken pride of place in the world's great public and private...

The first episode, in two parts, examines the famous Naxos coin from an artistic perspective. By exploring the coin's subjects, style, composition and engraver, Tim starts to answer the question why some consider it a numismatic masterpiece. As we shall hear in subsequent episodes, the Naxos coin is so highly prized that it has taken pride of place in the world's great public and private...

The second episode examines the famous Naxos coin from an historic perspective. By exploring the story of Naxos, from its foundation in the eighth century BC to its destruction at the end of the fifth century BC, Tim seeks to provide an historical backstory for the famous coin that it produced. What we discover is that this was a small city, more follower than leader and frequently a victim rather...