Digger's Diary: The Arcadius Anomaly (repost from one of my old Treasurenet threads)

ominus1 · Oct 25, 2021

lordmarcovan said: ↑

This article was originally written for a general audience rather than a specialized numismatic one. ~RWS/"LM"

DIGGER'S DIARY: THE ARCADIUS ANOMALY

Did the ancient Romans ever make it to North America? That’s doubtful. However, some of their coins did, over the last two millennia. This is a 1,600 year old bronze coin of the eastern Roman emperor Arcadius, dating to the turn of the Fourth century AD, probably around the year 395.

And believe it or not, I found it right here in coastal Georgia! Technically this one wasn't found in the Golden Isles proper, but just a bit north of here, on a colonial site in Liberty County.

The crazy thing is, I didn't even have my metal detector with me that day, and found it almost by accident. The coin was lying right on the surface, where it had been washed out of a sand roadbed by recent rains. It did take a sharp eye to spot it against the grey sand, but
I always keep a sharp eye on any bare earth in historic places.

I thought it was a modern Lincoln cent at first, because I didn’t have my glasses on. But when I picked it up, I immediately knew it was too thick and too heavy to be a modern cent. In fact, since I’m a part-time world coin dealer and an avid collector of Roman coins, I knew right away what it was, though I was completely dumbfounded as to how it got there.

Though it lay on top of the ground, I do not believe it was recently lost by a collector. Not a modern collector, anyway. I think it was in the ground for at least 150 to 200 years, judging from the context of the site where I found it. Other artifacts were in that washout. I had picked up a gunflint from a flintlock musket and some old pieces of plantation-era pottery moments before.

I have two pet theories. Either it was lost by an early collector (a famous 19th century antiquarian happened to have lived nearby), or it came over a bit before that- maybe on a ship from England during the colonial era, where such coins are commonly found. In the early days of the American colonies, small change was scarce, so people spent just about any kind of coin they could get their hands on. This might have circulated as a farthing (a quarter of a penny) in the 1700s, and nobody would have given it much thought at the time.

Sixteen centuries have taken their toll on this piece, but it still has some clear details. The obverse (or “heads” side) bears a portrait of the emperor. The reverse shows him standing with a globe in his left hand and something else, perhaps a military standard, on his right. The inscription GLORIA ROMANORVM (“Glory of the Romans”) is quite readable on the reverse.

So I’ll bet you think this coin is worth an emperor’s ransom, eh? Think again. Monetarily, it’s worth maybe ten bucks, tops. On a good day. I've bought better Roman bronzes for five bucks. Though certifiably ancient, these are very common coins … in Europe and the Middle East, where vast hoards are found.

But here in Georgia, in an American archaeological context? Not so much. Here, it is a truly amazing (and anomalous) find. Was I disappointed that it’s not worth a fortune? Nope. I was thrilled and fascinated ... and a bit baffled, too. If only it could talk!
Click to expand...

..if it was anyone but you melord, i'd have to invoke Missouri(show-me, i call bull!) on ya.....very incredible find by a very credible dude..

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lehmansterms · Oct 25, 2021

Another way Roman (and other classical-era) coins got into Western soil was as hitchhikers in the ballast ships on early voyages might take on to balance their loads before a trans-oceanic passage. Mainly, they just shoveled whatever dirt and rocks which came conveniently to hand into the lower hold area. Then, if they had a sufficient load of cargo for the return voyage, they would just dump the European ballast-soil to accommodate it. A lot of the erratic finds of single European and Asian ancient coins in the Americas can be explained this way - particularly in coastal areas like Liberty County GA.

lordmarcovan · Oct 25, 2021

lehmansterms said: ↑

Another way Roman (and other classical-era) coins got into Western soil was as hitchhikers in the ballast ships on early voyages might take on to balance their loads before a trans-oceanic passage. Mainly, they just shoveled whatever dirt and rocks which came conveniently to hand into the lower hold area. Then, if they had a sufficient load of cargo for the return voyage, they would just dump the European ballast-soil to accommodate it. A lot of the erratic finds of single European and Asian ancient coins in the Americas can be explained this way - particularly in coastal areas like Liberty County GA.
Click to expand...

A detecting buddy of mine reportedly found a 1797 British “Cartwheel” penny on a ballast island in the Frederica River marsh opposite Gascogne Bluff here, on Saint Simons Island. I thought that was interesting. True, there is no telling what ended up getting mixed in with ship’s ballast.

GinoLR · Mar 28, 2023

Some good reading about ancient coins found in America:

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Digger's Diary: The Arcadius Anomaly (repost from one of my old Treasurenet threads)

ominus1 Well-Known Member

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lehmansterms Many view intelligence as a hideous deformity

lordmarcovan 48-year collector Moderator

GinoLR Well-Known Member

Attached Files:

precolumbian coins in america.pdf

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Digger's Diary: The Arcadius Anomaly (repost from one of my old Treasurenet threads)

ominus1 Well-Known Member

Guest User Guest

lehmansterms Many view intelligence as a hideous deformity

lordmarcovan 48-year collector Moderator

GinoLR Well-Known Member

Attached Files:

precolumbian coins in america.pdf

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