Sometimes, ancient artifacts may be dropped on your head in Berlin, especially if you’re a former angel who is hard up for money!
Middle schooler finds coin from Troy in Berlin
91–100 of 134 posts
Re: Middle schooler finds coin from Troy in Berlin
#92Re: Middle schooler finds coin from Troy in Berlin
#93Earlier quoted context omitted.
When I was a teenager I was working at McDonalds and someone came in and paid for a meal using old US Silver Certificate bills. Some people just are careless and don't notice old or unusual things.
I used to see those once or twice a year, now it's been a decade since I've seen even a $2 in the wild.
It’s probably been that since I used cash. Kids pocket money is the last frontier in our house. We even managed travel between 3/4 countries without any. Wise is great.
Re: Middle schooler finds coin from Troy in Berlin
#94Most probably the artifact was transferred there in modern times. Once I had found a 2nf century AD Roman coin while playing outside, worth about 200E. If they were transfered in their corresponding time, they would be burried many metres beneath earth surface.
The first link in the article is better than the actual article.
They don’t think it a modern loss.
https://greekreporter.com/2026/04/16/ancient-greek-coin-troy...
Re: Middle schooler finds coin from Troy in Berlin
#95Earlier quoted context omitted.
Alexander the Great visited it in 334 BC: https://greekreporter.com/2025/09/07/alexander-the-great-vis... Edit: this was also mentioned in the article
not exactly a tourist :) but the point stands
I dunno, given the reputation we Americans have as tourists, it'd be nice to point out good ol' Alex and say, "hey, it could be worse!"
Re: Middle schooler finds coin from Troy in Berlin
#96Earlier quoted context omitted.
no, but in first century bc and after that the roman world was connected enough that rich young romans were doing their version of the grand tour. Cesar managed to be kidnapped by pirates doing something like that, if I remember it correctly.
> no, but in first century bc and after that the roman world was connected enough that rich young romans were doing their version of the grand tour. So "yes", then.
The og question is about two centuries earlier. Time matters.
Re: Middle schooler finds coin from Troy in Berlin
#97I knew vaguely that Troy had many layers of settlement, but I didn't realize that Troy had an extensive life in antiquity that extended into the classical Greek age (Post-Bronze Age) and Early Roman Age. It's funny to think of Roman and Greek Tourists visiting Troy VIII in 300 BC.
Was there anything resembling tourism in 300 BC?
It seems that a major objective of Judaism’s monotheism and singular Temple complex was predicated on being “A Light to All Nations” and a central, exclusive focus for pilgrimage (and therefore, economic activity) during the Jewish feasts.
In fact this is exactly the same situation which drives pro-Israel sentiment in modern times: pilgrimage == tourism == $$$.
Re: Middle schooler finds coin from Troy in Berlin
#98As a child I was walking down the street and kicked something by chance that sounded metallic. 150 year old coin, irrc. Just there on the asphalt next to the sidewalk. Unfortunately bronze, with trimmed edges, common mint and worth very little. But if you tell me someone just stumbles onto and old coin in the street just lime that, I pretty much believe it.
> if you tell me someone just stumbles onto and old coin... I found a bill from the Weimar hyperinflation era. Its face value was several billion (Milliarden). Its only value was as a curiosity.
Who doesn’t miss the days when a Milliarden was worth something?
Re: Middle schooler finds coin from Troy in Berlin
#99Earlier quoted context omitted.
And well known to fans of Dr Demento. This is the Wikipedia about “Hancock Park” the city park that contains the tar pits and museum. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hancock_Park There is also a district of the city that contains NIMBYs and other fossils, by a similar name.
Pico and Sepulveda! Pico and Sepulveda!
I remember it well and now I can’t get that stinger out of my head
Re: Middle schooler finds coin from Troy in Berlin
#100Earlier quoted context omitted.
You can get new $2 from your bank
And they're still a pain to spend, because too many people refuse to believe they're real money. Or else don't want to take them because there isn't a slot in their cash drawer. I inherited a couple of bundles from my dad last year (he made $2 bills his "thing", much like Woz, because he enjoyed arguing with cashiers), and exchanged them all at the bank for "real money".
Many years ago a friend of mine used to tip bartenders and servers with dollar coins (a dollar tip on a drink was good at the time). They remembered him for that and he got better service even though it was probably a bit of a PITA for them to deal with the coins. $2 bills could probaby be used in a similar fashion.