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.
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 of.
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 chosen because of its proximity to the theme of the 2024 movie “Gladiator 2” which fictionally takes place during the time of the joint rule of Rome by the brothers Caracalla and Geta between 209 and 211.
Critics have panned the movie as dreadful and inaccurate historically; however, Swift’s choice of coins and jewelry is likely due to her interest in the September 5, 2024, launch of the Pepsi Cola gladiator-themed advertising campaign. Swift's boyfriend, Travis Kelce, is among the five professional football players in the advertisement.
In most ways, the commercial is as inaccurate as the movie. As character actors Lamorne Morris and Jake Lacy sip their Pepsi, they are transported back to ancient Rome, where Megan Thee Stallion raps over a cover of “We Will Rock You,” and football players battle tigers in the Coliseum—the full commercial runs for three minutes.
Future Reference founder Randi Molofsky explained to Page Six that the Philip I coin is a “one-of-a-kind” find, likely 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.”
The reason a replica rather than genuine Hadrian coin was used hasn’t been explained, but 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 traveled widely throughout the empire.”
Miller said the replica coin set in the coordinating Ben-Amun bracelet mimics those minted by the silversmiths of Syracuse of about 300 B.C. and depicts “the helmeted head of the goddess Athena on one side and a flying Pegasus on the other.” Miller appears to be describing coins issued by Corinth rather than Syracuse.
According to Page Six, Swift was to wear a Steven Battelle-designed silver pendant featuring the goddess Roma during the American Football Conference Championship game that preceded the Super Bowl game.
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.”
Battelle said this is a genuine Roman Republican coin, struck in 109 to 108 B.C. The reverse features Victoria, the winged Roman goddess of victory. Battelle added, “There is something almost talismanic about the messages that we try to interpret from those coins. To me, someone wearing an ancient coin piece has not only an appreciation of the beauty of the ancient images, but an appreciation of the continuity of history and our place within it.”
Page Six also explained, “While it’s impossible to know whether Swift’s been 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.
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