Can Taylor Swift's Ancient Coins Bring New Eyes to Collecting?

Taylor Swift’s new fascination with ancient coin jewelry shines a spotlight on Roman denarii, historical talismans—and maybe even coin collecting itself.

Richard Giedroyc

Can Taylor Swift and her legions of Swifties save coin collecting? It’s doubtful, but then again, coin collecting doesn’t need to be saved. What is of interest, however, is that the celebrity singer, songwriter, and cultural icon has been collecting coins—sort futurescoin.comof.

It is unlikely coin collectors have been paying much attention to what Swift wears as jewelry. Still, a closer examination reveals Swift has a connection, particularly to ancient coins and her boyfriend, pro football player Travis Kelce.

Two jewelry pieces of particular note are a replica silver denarius of Roman Emperor Hadrian (A.D. 117–138) and another described as a bronze coin of Philip I (224–249) mounted in a necklace. Information on the reverse of the Hadrian coin has not been announced. However, that replica may have been selected because of its proximity to the time of the joint rule by the brothers Caracalla and Geta between 209 and 211.

Another interesting tidbit is that the coin is a replica, not an original. A coin dealer, Spencer Miller of Miller Ancients, acknowledged that the denarius is "a modern imitation silver denarius of the Roman emperor Hadrian. He (Hadrian) was a widely respected and competent emperor who fashioned himself as a great classical philosopher and travelled extensively throughout the empire."

It is unclear why a replica coin was used instead of a genuine Hadrian coin.

According to Future Reference founder Randi Molofsky, the Philip I coin is a “one-of-a-kind” find, which may be referring to the coin being set in jewelry.

In a late January posting, Page Six reports, “But this wasn’t some one-off sartorial clue for the superstar; she wore the same precious piece for two subsequent autumn outings in NYC, and has since added several other coin-centric styles to her jewelry box — including a Ben-Amun Giovanni necklace and Luigi bracelet.”

In addition to the coin jewelry, Swift has also been seen wearing a silver pendant designed by Steven Battelle that features the goddess Roma. Battelle explained, “She was believed to watch over the city’s citizens and protect them from harm, as well as being a fierce defender of Rome in war.”

This is a genuine Roman Republican coin, struck in 109 to 108 B.C. The reverse features Victoria, the winged Roman goddess of victory.

Batelle added, “There is something almost talismanic about the messages that we try to glean from those coins. To someone who collects coins, there is an sphere of interest in the coins’ place in history and what they tell us about the people who made and used them. I think that someone wearing an ancient coin piece has not only an appreciation for the beauty of the ancient images, but an appreciation for the continuity of history and our place in it.”

Page Six also explained, “While it’s impossible to know whether Swift is cherry-picking pieces stamped with these particular deities and rulers to send messages to her fans, it makes sense that the noted history buff — whose Tortured Poets Department track 'Cassandra' was inspired by the cursed Greek mythological figure — would gravitate toward ancient coin jewelry in general.

Confused by this rewrite of history? Any collector of ancient coins should be. Nevertheless, with a high-profile pop singer possibly interested in ancient coins, this could be a good thing for the hobby.

What do you think? Will Taylor Swift's new coin jewelry collection spark an interest in ancient coins among her fans? Tell us in the comments below.