Another coin I picked up at CNG 437 was this quite rare Trajan AE As, as it turns out I woke up really early and thought I would take a look at how the auction was going and it was nearly up to this coin and I had trouble believing it only had $70 US on it as I had looked at it earlier in the week and thought it would go for a lot more but the auction wasn't over and still had 20 seconds left so I got typing (this is without a coffee) put 80 on with 2 seconds left hit the button never thought it would get through and could not believe it when I won. Hope none of you were the under bidder Trajan. AD 98-117. Æ As (25.5mm, 11.67 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck AD 111. Laureate bust right, slight drapery / AQVA/ TRAIANA in two lines in exergue, Genius of the Aqua Traiana reclining left under arched and ornamented grotto supported by two columns, holding reed and leaning on urn from which water flows. RIC II 463; Woytek 361b. VF, dark brown patina, traces of earthen deposits. The Aqua Traiana was dedicated in AD 109 and supplied water to the expanding trans-Tiber (west bank) suburbs of Rome. Trajan looked back to the Divine Augustus to learn how an emperor could create a legacy. Trajan knew an emperor was judged by the buildings and other landmarks he left behind; for even Augustus boasted of having "found Rome brick and left it marble." So Trajan, too, lavished enormous amounts of money and attention on building projects in Rome and elsewhere. The pride Trajan took in these projects is confirmed by the fact that so many appear on his coins. In this case Trajan celebrates the completion of a large waterworks dedicated in his honor – the aqua Traiana. Like any major metropolitan area, Rome needed a reliable supply of fresh water; for centuries engineers had built aqueducts to tap surrounding water sources. These were major projects, and in the first four decades that Augustus held sway, he oversaw construction of three new aqueducts, and caused a new branch to be added to the aqua Marcia. Trajan was not far behind: he made massive improvements to the aqua Marcia and the aqua Anio Novus, and in 109 he built an entirely new aqueduct – the one celebrated on this sestertius. It brought fresh water from Lago Bracciano to the Trastevere quarter near the west bank of the Tiber. Part of its purpose was to feed the new baths Trajan had built. The Genius of the aqueduct is here shown reclining beneath an arch or the castellum of the aqueduct, wherein the incoming waters were distributed. The coin depicts the castellum, or waterworks, associated with the terminal of the aqueduct, and its statue of the river Tiber. There is some great pics and info on this blog about the recent excavations. http://www3.iath.virginia.edu/waters/JRA_Taylor_Rinne_O'Neill_2010.pdf SHOW US ALL THOSE TRAJAN COINS OUT THERE
Lovely coin! Bargain! Here's the latest Trajan acquisition: Trajan, AD 98-117. Roman AE quadrans, 3.68 g, 16.4 mm, 6 h. Rome, AD 98-117. Obv: IMP CAES NERVA TRAIAN AVG, laureate bust right, drapery on left shoulder. Rev: She-wolf walking right; SC in exergue. Refs: RIC 692; BMCRE 1060; Cohen 338; RCV --; Woytek 599b1.
Very nice pick-up @Ancient Aussie , and great write-up, thank you. RI Trajan AR Denarius 98-117 Riding Horse
Thanks, your's is a type that I am on the look out for, I believe it was a statue in his forum somewhere.
Always tough to post a coin after Octavius? They are the best! My best of Trajan.. I love the young looking portrait on this coin: The weight of the empire takes its toll...
Two great coins Clavdivs, but that silver denarius is exceptional, I see what you mean he does look a lot younger.
Great find Aussie, good portrait , congrats. same coin as the one from Clavdivs, but Trajan looking much older: Abundantia seated with 2 cornucopiae giving the impression of her in a wheelchair
