[André]

When I was working in the middle east 20 years ago I bought these coins from a young soldier in Tyre in Lebanon. He claimed he found them there and needed money so I gave him a couple of USD and thought I would be a nice souvenier. Eventhough Tyre is an old town with many roman places ( I think them filmed some parts in the movie Ben Hur in Tyre) I think these are most likely just fake coins.

The thing is that I gave them to the museum for them tocheck if they were real and then they could have them since they had other similair ones there.

Today I got them back. They send me a postcard that they had done a inventory and found them in a bag with my name on it. And they wanted me to pick them up if I still wanted them. I asked them if they had checked them, but they had been forgotten and been misplaced and just found.

So after 20 years I got these back.

[Lia]

Does that mean, you have no idea about their value?

Lia

[André]

Lia,

I have no idea. But I don´t think they are genuine.

And if they are genuine, many of these items have more museal value than economical.

[Cassiebsg]

They look nice anyway.

I have one 5 kr. (I think) looking similar to that. Have no idea what happened to it, but found it at work in the middle of some freshly washed table towels. Thought it looked "cute" and put it in my pocket instead of the trash can.

[André]

One of them looks in pretty good shape.

It is from the late empire Constantinius.

These are not especially valuable I think, maybe 10 euro, but they look nice. And it is a nice memory.

[Tojo]

Interesting André.

I think that only a coin specialist can really tell you anything about them.

It's hard to see on the picture but I think that the larger of the 3 at the bottom of the picture, the one with a standing figure on it, might be Roman.

I have one similar which I found in our house in the summer. Our village was once the site of a Roman fort so lots of artifacts turn up here. I found the coin when I pulled up the kitchen flooring & I expect someone found the coin somewhere in the village in a field or garden or something & then lost it again in our kitchen.

[SmurfingH]

They look interesting Andre. I think the most amazing thing is that you got them back after 20 years!

[André]

I agree Hilary,
it is very amazing.

And it brings back memories.

Tyre is near the Israeli border and therefore not that "goodlooking" anymore. It is in Hizbollah territory and have been under Israeli attacks for many years now.

The boy I bought the coins from had civil clothes but armytrousers and a gun stuck in his belt. Looked like a mixture of a hizbollah fundamentalist and a american gangmember. I don´t think he was more than 14-15 years old.

[stampysmurf]

Wow, to get them back after 20 years! That is really neat!

[bwalters]

Those look really neat. let us know if you find out the value of them.