My favourite Nerva is a fouree. We have the obverse COS IIII with a Trajan reverse COS II. Under the scope the colours are fabulous.
The interesting thing here in my view is the reversal of generations. We are more accustomed to millennials who don't understand the old man's hobby of collecting but humor him. I for one would be thrilled to have a child/grandchild who had the slightest interest in Nerva or 200 other famous Romans rather than at least that many stars of You Tube. Having two generations who respect each other's hobby is special. As for the coin: Great choice! How did your father come to select Nerva? I find him to be a particularly significant figure among the less than common personalities. He ruled for a very short time but 'invented' the concept of selecting a successor worthy of the position rather than from a DNA test. Without Nerva, we would have had no Trajan/Hadrian/Pius "good" emperors that made Rome the place to be if only for a little less than a century. We can not include Marcus Aurelius as a "good" because of what he did to history by having a son. How would history have been different if Aurelius had been childless? Might he have adopted Pescennius Niger or Pertinax (names to drop within earshot of your father)? Nerva coins are 'graded' like all others on preservation but also based on style. The uglier the portrait, the better we like the coin. The examples shown by the members above demonstrate the range available. Your coin is pretty good or should I say pretty ugly in terms of the nose??? I really would like to know what he really looked like. denarius dupondius Another point to consider for those shopping for a Nerva is the fact that the early coins of Nerva's successor Trajan bear the name Nerva and borrow a bit of the facial structure until the mint workers got used to cutting dies with the new features. The denarius below demonstrates a trap waiting for those who buy without reading the whole legend. Coins like this but with unfortunate centering have been known to be sold for something they are not.
Super gift @Ajax !! Great posts guys!! Besides getting a cool coin of Nerva, the significance of who gave it to you will only grow as the years pass. I think there are only two members of my remaining family that show any real interest in coins, let alone ancients---two nephews, but one seems more interested in their resale value than their historical relevance. Both nephews are getting 'old' since they are now 'thirty something' LOL Here's a copper As I grabbed because of the low cost and denomination (struck circa 97 AD) with another currently on bid:
That Trajan denarius is a nice rarity Doug. I love that reverse scene. Nerva, the lawyer with no military experience who had trouble controlling the legions, stands togate, handing the world to Trajan, the accomplished commander in military dress.
Thanks. That is 'my kind of coin'. Trajan most certainly was a correct choice for Nerva and the message of the coin explains it well. Many coins can be appreciated for beauty or rarity but my favorites are those that have more than one level of meaning that can be appreciated only with a bit of understanding. This is one of the specialty interests that is really hard to put into words when a show dealer asks you what you collect: "I want coins you don't understand why I would want them" sounds pompous. Truth sometimes needs to be presented with more finesse. "I want $10 coins with $20 footnotes leaves the impression, correct to a degree, that I am a cheapskate. Still, I have had dealers show me coins that they knew I would like and be correct. Some of those guys really do belong in the business and really do provide a level of service for which I am happy to pay.
Nice, my dad would never get me anything like that. Nerva (96 -98 A.D.) AR Didrachm Cappadocia, Caesarea O AVTOKPAT NEPOYAC KAICAP CEBACTOC YΠAT Γ, laurate head right. R: CEBACTOY TYXH, Tyche standing left holding rudder in right hand and cornucopiae in left. Cappadocia, Caesarea 97 A.D. 20mm 6.7g Sydenham 150 Published on Wildwinds
According to Wikipedia, this is an ancient bust of Nerva: How accurate is it? Who knows? But it does have have a lot of similarity to his portraits on coins.
IMO A bit harsh to condemn him for something Commodus did after his death. If more people had the stoic beliefs of Aurelius today we would be in a better place. Here is a decent portrait of Nerva although I'm not certain on it being official. Cappadocia, Caesarea. Nerva (Didrachm / AD 97) Obv: AVTOKPAT NEPOYAC KAICAP CEBACTOC Laureate head of Nerva right. Rev: VΠATOY TPITOY Club of Hercules.
Interestingly, I acquired this one just last week: Nerva, AD 96-98 AD AR Denarius, 3.1g, 18mm, Rome mint Obv.: IMP NERVA CAES AVG P M TR POT II; Laureate head right. Rev.: COS III PATER PATRIAE; Priestly implements: simpulum, aspergillum, jug and lituus. Reference: RIC 225, 34. Cohen 51 Provenance: From the Collection of a CT Member, ex-Zuzim (Isadore Goldstein)
Great coin all, i found another picture from him , here has he his famous noise Buste van Nerva, Narni, Italy
Wow, I really love that coin! I wonder if whoever made it realized they had the wrong obverse/reverse pairing?
Thanks! Technically it's a little premature to post it today because I don't have it in hand, but I have full confidence it will look every bit as nice when I finally do see it. Nerva isn't my "main man," so to speak, but I knew I wanted to get a coin of all the Nerva-Antonine emperors eventually, so I nabbed it and one of the Trajan provincials that were up for bids. When a coin like this comes around at a price like that, I've learned not to wait.