Denarius of Trajan

This Roman coin was unearthed by Stephen Corner on 24 October. Stephen thought I might want to feature it on my website, so he sent in images of the coin.
This find is a denarius of Trajan, whose dates are AD 98-117. The legends aren’t clear on both sides but if they could be seen the obverse would read IMP TRIAINO AVG GER DAC P MTR P COS V P P around the laureate head of the emperor. On the reverse, facing right under a trophy of arms, is a seated Dacian captive; the legend on this side reads S P Q R OPTIMO PRINCIPI.

In volume II of David Sear’s Roman Coins and Their Values a denarius like this one is illustrated s number 3169. The type was struck at Rome during AD 104.

As already mentioned, the legends are weak on Stephen’s find but overall it would grade better than Fine. Unfortunately, a piece of silver has flaked off over the emperor’s forehead and this seems to have revealed a base metal core. This suggests that the coin could be a fourree, which is a term used to describe a denarius that has a base metal core covered by a thin coating of silver. There is still much debate about these things, as to whether or not they are they are official issues or forgeries. Whatever is the case, they are worth a good deal less than coins made of solid silver.