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Copper as of Tiberius from Rome,
35 or 36 CE.
26 x 28mm across,
11.04 grammes. |
An as of Tiberius with a reverse showing a winged caduceus. It's been pierced from the portrait side, so was probably intended to display that. The hole is quite small and fine, unlike most of these examples, so it might be much more recent than the date of minting of the coin. |
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Copper provincial coin from Colonia Augusta Aroe Patrensis,
14-37 CE.
27 by 24mm,
9.1 grammes. |
This interesting coin was struck at Patras in Greece during Tiberius' reign.
It commemorates the divine Augustus on one side, and on the other, his founding of a colony after the
battle of Actium as a place for his legionary veterans to settle. The
founder carries a measuring rod and the legion's flag, and is behind a plough drawn by two oxen.
The hole is rather small to allow a string (or wire loop) strong enough to hang it round someone's neck, and it
shows a different pattern of wear from the "moon and stars" denarius at the bottom of the 2nd century
section. I think that someone in the colony has pierced it to display the founding scene, and perhaps
nailed it up on their lintel, and touched it regularly for luck. Very interesting, very full of history,
and it tells a personal story too. |
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Copper as of Caligula from Rome,
37 or 38 CE.
29mm across,
11.2 grammes. |
The coin has been pierced in a way that shows off the representation of Vesta on the reverse, but the hole is very close to her head and goes right through her name. Was it done by someone to whom Vesta was important? I can't be sure. The hole is rather crudely done, it goes through at a slight angle, and seems to have been worked at from both sides. The Vesta side is slightly worn, so might have been touched a lot. Whatever the truth, it has left me with a nice portrait of Gaius (a.k.a. Caligula), which would otherwise have been much more costly. |
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Copper as of Caligula from Rome,
37 or 38 CE.
29mm across,
11.26 grammes. |
Another example of the same coin, this time holed very firmly right in the middle, and certainly to show off Vesta, given that the emperor's head has been seriously defaced by the hole. This one was probably nailed or riveted to something as a decoration, perhaps in a shrine to Vesta. |
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Copper as of Galba,
68-69 CE.
27mm across,
9.6 grammes. |
Here's another hard-to-get portrait, and this one has definitely been made into a keepsake of the Emperor. Galba revolted against Nero, and after Nero's suicide, raced from Spain to claim the vacant position. He was soon executed by Otho, who had not received the reward Galba had promised him for his aid in the rebellion.
Like the coin of Gaius "Caligula" above, the reverse of this one shows Vesta. This time she is holding the Palladium, which is a statuette of Athena on a stick, supposed to have been brought from Troy by Aeneas. |
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Copper quadrans of Domitian,
81-82 CE.
16mm,
2.41 grammes. |
These small coins are much sought after these days, especially if they're in good condition. This one
is very sharp and in high relief. Even with a hole, a desirable coin in this nice condition can be expensive,
so you need to watch for opportunities.
Unlike almost all other imperial coins, quadrantes didn't show the emperor on the obverse. This one shows
a helmeted Minerva. Domitian was keen to link himself with the warlike properties and wisdom of Minerva, and
often showed her on denarii as well. |
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Silver denarius of Nerva,
97 CE.
15 x 18mm,
2.8 grammes. |
Another rarish portrait. This is Nerva, with a Concordia Exercitum reverse. Nerva was very worried about the loyalty of the army, and if he hadn't adopted as his heir the popular general Marcus Ulpius Traianus, he might have had a real problem. Several of his coins reflected this concern.
This coin has been deeply scored on both sides around the area of the hole. The marks carefully avoid both the portrait on the obverse and the clasped hands on the reverse, and it looks as though this might even have been a first crude attempt to chop a hole though the metal.
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Bronze AE26 of Trajan,
96-117 CE.
25 x 26mm,
10.8 grammes. |
This coin is typical of Antioch on the Orontes, with its large "S C" in a laurel wreath. The very neat hole has been placed to show Trajan's bust. |
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