Denarius of Trajan

Pictured here is a Roman denarius, which was unearthed very recently by Roger Paul, who said it was clearly silver when it came out of the ground but soon became much darker.

This is a coin of Trajan, whose dates are AD 98-117. On the obverse the legend reads IMP CAES NERVA TRAIAN AVG GERM around the laureate head of the emperor. On the reverse is the seated figure of Abundantia (the personification of abundance) and on this side the legend reads PONT MAX TR POT COS II.

This type is not included in volume II of David Sear’s Roman Coins and Their Values but it is number 11 in Roman Imperial Coins. It was struck at Rome during AD 98 and 99.

Valuation

Experienced detectorists will have seen silver coins come out of the ground close to their natural colour but soon become much darker. This doesn’t happen every time but does happen quite often. Most detectorists are not particularly bothered if coins darken but collectors prefer specimens that are more obviously silver. Therefore, the dark surfaces of this denarius would deter some collectors from bidding for it.

The obverse is well struck and looks as if it would grade about VF. On the reverse the figure of Abundantia is weak and would grade about Fine at best. In its present condition a likely pre-sale auction estimate would be £50-60.

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