Holding ancient Greek and Roman coins is touching 'living history,' says N.L. collector

CBC

19-07-2025

New
Steve McBride likes to collect coins depicting animals, like goats and bees
For one homesteader on Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula, collecting ancient Greek and Roman coins is about holding a piece of history in his hands.
Steve McBride has a homestead with his wife Lisa in Mobile, where they raise goats, honeybees, turkeys and ducks for their own consumption, and his ancient coins hit close to home.
"I like them a lot because they show scenes that are very familiar to us," McBride told CBC News.
He's specifically interested in coins with animals on them, which ties back to his homestead.
One coin in his collection depicts a honeybee, which was a symbol of the Roman goddess Diana whose priestesses were called little honeybees and served as beekeepers.
"There's a coin I've got here, one of my favourite coins, has basically somebody milking a goat. Which is something I did this morning," he said.
"It makes me feel like we're directly connected to our ancestors from, not just not just a generation ago, but from many, many generations ago."
Ancient coins also have propaganda messages and depict historical events.
McBride said he was a child in 1986 when Halley's Comet last flew by Earth's sky. When he started coin collecting he found the Romans also marked the comet on a coin.
"It brings everything full circle," he said.
Accessible history
McBride said history has been a longtime interest, and about 20 years ago he started acquiring his coins on eBay. Pennies, nickels and dimes are pretty common.
"It means that people like me can spend $50 or something and buy one and hold a 2,000-year-old piece of history, something that was spent on bread or on a ticket to the theatre 2,000 years ago," he said.
"Being able to touch something that's tangibly connected to people from so long ago … I find it really exciting."
Image | Steve McBride and goat
Caption: One of the coins in McBride's collection features a goat being milked, which is something he does on his own homestead. (Elizabeth Whitten/CBC)
Open Image in New Tab
McBride has developed a deep understanding of the time periods from which these coins were made. He said he has been asked to help identify coins for others, including auction houses and museums — all from the comfort of his home.
"Basically I'll identify the coins and translate the Latin on them and try to precisely date them," he said.
In some cases, details can say the month or even day the coin was struck, he added, and he's even found a few coins that have never been documented before.
"When you actually get to research and add a coin to a catalogue, it feels like you're creating a little bit of history or dusting off a little bit of history and putting it back up on a shelf," McBride said. "I find that really rewarding."