Denarius of Hadrian

This find was unearthed by Stephen Whalley, who said that silver coins usually show up on his detector as 51-53 but this one was only 17-18. The coin weighs 2.87 grams and I was asked if I could say if it is silver.

The coin appears to be a denarius of Hadrian, whose dates are AD 117 to 138. On the obverse the laureate head of the emperor faces right and there is light drapery of his far shoulder. On this side the legend reads HADRIANVS AVGVSTVS.

On the reverse are the emblems of the augurate and pontificate and a legend reading COS III. In volume II of David Sear’s Roman Coins and Their Values this type is listed as number 3483. It was struck at Rome during AD 127.

The coin would grade about VF but is very dark in colour. This, though, is not particularly unusual for a coin that has been in the soil for close to two thousand years. If 100 denarii of Hadrian were brought together and weighed then the average figure would be over 3 grams. However, several would weigh less than 3 grams so Stephen’s coin, at 2.87 grams, is not particularly unusual.

The fact that silver coins usually show up as 51-53 on Stephen’s detector but the denarius registered 17-18 does not mean it isn’t genuine. All sorts of things can affect readouts so they certainly should be treated as infallible. Quite obviously, I cannot tell if the coin is silver with only photographs to work from. However, from its general appearance I can say that it looks to me like a perfectly genuine denarius of Hadrian.

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