Noted numismatist and author of Whitman’s 100 Greatest Ancient Coins, Harlan J. Berk recently gave an exclusive interview to Coin Week, in which he discussed his love of numismatics and collecting the coins of antiquity.
CoinWeek: Harlan, you wrote the book 100 Greatest Ancient Coins (Whitman, 2008). In your opinion, what makes for a great ancient coin?
Harlan J. Berk: There are several factors. First is art – How good is the art on the coin? Next is historical importance. That’s a factor that plays out for the rare coins. What makes a common coin important? Like an Alexander the Great tetradrachm or stater? These coins are great because, at their time, they were so important that they became a world currency.