Ancient gold found in UB library

From top to bottom: a gold aureus of the Roman emperor Otho; a tetradrachm of Athens, showing the bust of the goddess Athena; a tetradrachm of Alexander the Great, showing Alexander dressed as the god Herakles; a silver tetradrachm of Syracuse (Sicily) showing the nymph Arethusa; a gold aureus of the emperor Nero; and a gold octodrachm of Arsinoe II. Within the collection is a “remarkably rare” coin of Roman emperor Otho, who reigned for a mere three months.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Finding a $20 bill could make your day. Find priceless, 2,500-year-old gold and silver Greek and Roman coins and it's a major discovery. 40 silver Greek coins, three gold Greek coins and a dozen gold Roman coins — one from each era of the first 12 Roman emperors, from Julius Caesar to Domitian. They range in date from the fifth century B.C. to the late first century A.D. The coins were donated in 1935 to the UB Libraries Special Collections by Thomas B. Lockwood as part of a larger collection of rare books.