Denarius of Claudius and Agrippina

This is the last coin from a batch of three sent in by Dean Bartha. It’s a Roman denarius, of a type that has a head on both sides. On the obverse is the head of Claudius and on the reverse the head of Agrippina, who was the niece of Claudius and she became his fourth wife in AD 49. By that time the province of Britannia had become part of the Roman Empire, though many of the Ancient British were still continuing the fight against foreign rule.

On the obverse the laureate head of Claudius is surrounded by a legend that reads TI CLAVD CAESAR AVG GERM P M TRIB POT P P. On the reverse is the draped bust of Agrippina, who is accompanied by a legend reading AGRIPPINAE AVGVSTAE.  In volume I of David Sear’ Roman Coins and Their Values this denarius is listed as number 1886. The type was struck at Lugdunum in AD 51.

Valuation

Both of the dies used to strike this coin are of the best quality. The obverse would grade good VF, the reverse about EF. The only minus point is the colour, which is a deadish grey. A coin like this would need a thorough checkout to ensure it is genuine. If it passed muster then there would be no shortage of potential buyers.

A similar but not as fine specimen recently sold at auction for $2,500. Dean’s find is even better, so should sell for more. However, for the coin to achieve a figure in line with its rarity and excellent condition it is important that the auctioneer would have an international client base.

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