Want to see some Roman Art? Why wait for a museum to have a showing? It’s all there on ebay. Just put the following words into the search engine:
Roman Antiques.
This on-line auction house is truly the ‘peoples museum.’ Where else can such a collection be brought together at a touch of a key?
Roman marble head of bearded man Starting bid $700.
Roman Iron Knife with Bronzed handle Starting bid $24.
And where else can you find a 3rd Century Phallic Symbol for a starting bid of $1.50?
It’s like opening up a Roman shopping mall that has been sealed up for thousand of years. Let’s go deeper…got your explorer’s hat on?
My favorite items are the fibulas. These are pins to keep your cloak pinned to your tunic. They come in all shapes and sizes. The one I have my eye on and it comes up once in a while is a fibula of a roman galley. You can also get one in the form of a sea monster, but they also come in various other designs.
Looking to worship at the feet of a god or goddess that had actually was part of a Roman’s household gods? You can get it here…for a price.
A bronze Mercury, museum quality $5, 495 starting bid.
If you can’t afford the more popular gods, JUNO is a lot cheaper.
In the ebay museum are rings of all makes and sizes, bronze and gold, amethyst and stones of various hues. There are rings that are keys, rings for archers that protect the finger that grips the string of the bow. A Roman gold military carnelian intaglio of a roman eagle design is yours for a mere starting bid of $740.
Do you have a thing for an official Roman nail? This is affordable and certainly doable for most: A starting bid of $30.
Looking for coins? This is the place. For a reasonable price pick up a cache of coins that looks like they have sat in a hole for the last thousand years. Starting bid $30 maybe? This means you can hit the jackpot if you come up with anything that is valuable. You can guess what goes up in price. Got something with Brutus on it, with the two daggers on the back with the freeman’s hat? You are looking at serious money. If the coin is silver it may be worth $500 to $600, but if its gold then you are looking at a couple of grand.
Looking for sewing pins? Got it.
Spear and arrow heads can be yours. And from the more recent roman era…Byzantium crosses can be had.
Need glass beads, and an oil lamp that sat on a poet’s table? It’s there.
You may even find a broach, in the shape of a fish, that may have been an adornment of an early Christian in England? Maybe.
This is like exploring an ancient refuse pile. Or opening up a drawer in a house that has been sealed up for a VERY long time. The past presented through nibs, nobs, and thingy- ma- bobs. You have to sort, and judge if you are actually looking at something that has value. But what does value mean? Doesn’t gold have a true and intrinsic 
value or is it something we rate high because of man’s fascination with it? Once there was a stock market for tulips in Holland. The value dropped over night. Sort through the ebay Museum and you’ll have to judge. What does owning a statue of Mercury mean to you? What does owning a coin that bears the image of Vespasian say about you, or your interests? Something that you buy from that period could have sat on a table of a philosopher, an Emperor, or someone that saw the turmoil in the streets during the Sulla proscriptions. There is no way to prove any of that, but depending on when it was made there is a chance. A slim chance, but a chance just the same. Owning such a thing connects you to the past.
It is your own personal time machine.
I own a quarter with the date 1945 on it. My Father was a veteran of World War II. It makes me feel good to own it, a year where a horrible war ended and my father returned to the U.S. alive and in one piece. Others did not, but 1945 was a year of new beginnings for the winners and the losers.
The value is in my eyes.
Warning: If something is classified Roman style its a copy. That’s OK if you want to own the art or design style and not puncture a hole in your pocketbook.
However, what is the owner offering something up as a starting bid? If its in the hundreds or thousands it seems to speak of authenticity. But a coin of Augustus with a starting bid of $2.00 makes me wonder if someone is trying to con me. Coins with the image of Augustus are hot, images of Brutus or Caesar…hotter.
A 'traditional' Museum -- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The drawer of Roman nibs, nobs, and thinga- ma- bobs seems more true to life than an exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It reminds me of something, yes…I remember now, its my own personal nibs, nobs, and thinga- ma- bobs drawer. You have one too, admit it. It’s the things we keep because we love them, an official boyscout knife, a button from an election, a button from a favorite sweater, a stub from a theater ticket for the movie STAR WARS. Some may have an action figure, or even a pressed flower in a book. I have a Tibetan ink well, and the god Ganesha dancing through obstacles (who I occasionally display on a shelf at work out of respect). The ebay museum may remind you of an ancient junk drawer – pins, rings, statues of favorite gods brought together for you to enjoy. You can see this on ebay, but you have something like this at home. YOUR junk drawer may make it on ebay when it celebrates its 150th anniversary. Note* The word ‘junk’ is a bad word to describe what it REALLY is, for they are actually treasures. You have to believe that their treasures for why would you hide it away like that? Why would you save it? I’ll tell you why. It’s your personal museum. I can only show you my museum if you come to visit, but the ebay museum is open daily to the viewing public.
No entrance fee is required, but you might be tempted to make a bid.
Imagine this on ebay 2201. What curious artifact from that pre-computer civilization. Some say it is called "The Slide Rule." Starting bid: $2000
Rob Cain has traveled extensively through Europe, Italy, and Egypt. He was formerly on active duty with the United States Army. He is a fan of history, and enjoys reading books on the history of Rome. He currently has a podcast presentation on itunes and hipcast. The blog is for the free and open discussion of Ancient Rome based on Mr. Cain's observations noted in his podcast. Most episodes start out with an original dramatic narration written by Mr. Cain. In the podcasts he will include his own unique commentary, and interviews with subject matter experts. Comments are welcome and will be highlighted on the show. 
Episode 10, “Nothing New Under the Sun. Get Over it”, features the book, “The Ancient Guide to Modern Life” written by author, comedian, and TV commentator Natalie Haynes.” Whether political, cultural, or social, there are endless parallels between the ancient and modern worlds. Whether it's the murder of Caesar or the political assassination of Thatcher; the narrative arc of the hit HBO series, The Wire, or that of Oedipus; the popular enthusiasm for the Emperor Titus or President Obama – over and over again we can be seen to be living very much like people did 2,000 or more years ago. It's time for us to re-examine the past. Our lives are infinitely richer if we take the time to look at what the Greeks and Romans have given us in politics and law, religion and philosophy and education, and to learn how people really lived in Athens, Rome, Sparta and Alexandria. 
This is a book with a serious point to make but the author isn't just a classicist but a comedian and broadcaster who has made television and radio documentaries about humor, education and Dorothy Parker. This is a book for us all, not for an elite.
Do you think ebay encourages the trade in illicit antiquities? Not so much stolen ones, but ones that have not been properly declared in the country they come from, which means people are not giving new sites a chance to be properly excavated by archaeologists.
That could very well be true.