Taylor Swift's Coin Necklace Obsession: Decoding the Grammy Winner's Love of Ancient Roman and Greek Artifacts

Grammy-winning artist Taylor Swift has been spotted accessorizing her game-day and casual outfits with jewelry made from old coins, some genuine antiques and others contemporary replicas.

At the season opener for the Kansas City Chiefs on September 5, Swift sported a 1970s-era necklace from For Future Reference, featuring a denim corset paired with cutoffs. This piece, part of an exclusive selection for Bergdorf Goodman, is priced at $12,750.

“The bronze coin on this necklace depicts Philip I, who ruled the Roman Empire from 224-249 AD,” said Randi Molofsky, founder of For Future Reference, describing the unique item to Page Six Style.

The date also coincided with the launch of Pepsi’s “Gladiator” campaign, starring Swift’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce. The vintage piece might have been Swift’s way of dropping one of her famous Easter eggs.

This was not a singular instance for Swift; she donned the same valued necklace for other fall events in New York City and has since incorporated several other coin-themed pieces into her collection, including a Ben-Amun Giovanni necklace and a Luigi bracelet.

Spencer Miller, an ancient coin enthusiast turned dealer at Miller Ancients, explained to Page Six Style that the necklace features “a modern replica silver denarius of Roman Emperor Hadrian,” who reigned from 117 to 138 AD.

“Hadrian was a respected and able emperor who saw himself as a great classical philosopher and extensively traveled his empire,” Miller noted. He also mentioned, “Hadrian was openly bisexual and had a long-standing relationship with his male lover, Antinous, who met a tragic death under mysterious circumstances during a Nile cruise.”

Miller added that the replica coin in the Ben-Amun bracelet is modeled after those created by ancient Greek silversmiths in Syracuse around 300 BC, showing “the helmeted head of goddess Athena and the flying Pegasus on the opposite side.”

Swift might be drawn to Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war, or to Pegasus, a symbol of freedom and divine inspiration. Most recently, at the AFC Championship game on a Sunday night, Swift chose a silver pendant by Steven Battelle.

“The pendant bears the image of the goddess Roma,” Battelle informed Page Six Style. “Roma was revered as a protector of the city’s people and a robust defender of Rome in battles.” The reverse side of the authentic ancient coin, minted in 109-108 BC during the Roman Republic, portrays Victoria, the winged Roman goddess of victory.

“Wearing an ancient coin piece suggests not only an appreciation for the beauty of these old images but also a respect for the continuum of history and our place within it,” Battelle remarked.