Visitors to the American Numismatic Association’s 2026 World’s Fair of Money in Pittsburgh will have the opportunity to view one of the finest private collections of classical Athenian coinage assembled in recent years. Fourteen coins from Eva Qin’s Arcadia Collection will make their public debut in the ANA Museum Showcase during the convention, held August 25–29.
The exhibit will feature an impressive range of silver coinage from ancient Athens, including denominations from the tiny seven-millimeter hemiobol to the spectacular dekadrachm—one of the most iconic and valuable coins of the ancient Greek world. Each piece depicts Athena, the city’s patron goddess, on the obverse and her sacred owl on the reverse, designs that have become enduring symbols of classical Greek numismatics.
According to Classical Numismatic Group (CNG), which has assisted Qin in building the collection, the exhibit includes one of the finest surviving examples of the famous Athenian dekadrachm. The coins illustrate nearly the complete denomination series of classical Athens and highlight the coinage that helped establish the city as an economic and cultural powerhouse throughout the Mediterranean.
Ancient coin specialist David S. Michaels of CNG noted that Athenian silver coins circulated widely as international trade currency. Based on the Attic monetary standard, the silver drachm served as the foundation of the system, with larger denominations—including the tetradrachm and the prestigious dekadrachm—playing important roles in commerce and state finance. While a laborer typically earned about one drachm per day, the massive dekadrachm represented the equivalent of ten days’ wages and was likely used for large transactions rather than everyday commerce.
Qin began collecting ancient Greek coins in 2020 after years of collecting jewelry and finely crafted works of art. Initially drawn to ancient coins through coin jewelry, she soon discovered that these remarkable pieces of history could be studied and collected by private individuals rather than only admired in museums.
As her knowledge grew, Qin became increasingly fascinated by the artistry, craftsmanship, and historical significance of classical Greek coinage. She describes each hammer-struck coin as both a work of art and a tangible connection to one of history’s greatest civilizations.
The Arcadia Collection extends beyond Athenian coinage, and Qin plans to exhibit coins from other ancient Greek city-states at future numismatic conventions. For collectors attending this year’s World’s Fair of Money, however, the inaugural public display of these exceptional Athenian “owl” coins promises to be one of the convention’s highlights.