Got this in the mail today. It is my 1st coin purchase of 2018 cost $20. Marcus Aurelius Denarius Rome mint Circa 162 AD RIC 35 Obverse: IMP M AVREL ANTONINVS AVG, bare head right Reverse:CONCORD AVG TR P XVI, COS III in ex, Concordia seated left, holding patera while resting elbow on small statue of Spes, cornucopia below seat.
Way to make an entrance! Marcus Arelius is one of my favorites his meditations are a GREAT read. "Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking." - Marcus Aurelius "Live every day as if thy last. As it may be."
Thanks all! I do have a question. In the description on the reverse it says "COS III in ex" what does the "in ex" refer to?
It stands for ‘in exergue’ and refers to a small inscription (in this case ‘COS III’) that typically sits below the reverse image.
Good coin. You should be very happy. The first three lines of the Meditations read: "From my grandfather Verus I learned good morals and the government of my temper. From the reputation and remembrance of my father, modesty and a manly character. From my mother, piety and beneficence, and abstinence, not only from evil deeds, but even from evil thoughts; and further, simplicity in my way of living, far removed from the habits of the rich." The complete text is here: http://classics.mit.edu/Antoninus/meditations.html
Thank you for all the nice comments. I will have to read more about the meditations... Thanks for the link @ancient coin hunter. This will make the task a lot easier. Thanks, I actually have a lot of silver coins. Mostly classic/modern world coins. This is my 1st ancient silver coin though. Anyone know what the actual silver content of the Denarius of the era are? Thanks again...Mont
You see different numbers everywhere you look according to many factors including how the measurement was taken (destructive, xray, core drills etc.) I'll say ~75% just so someone else can say I'm off. If you would like to learn a few hundred word like 'exergue' that might come it handy, you are invited to ready the bold words on my pages on Vocabulary starting with: http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/voc.html Exergue is on http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/voc2.html but feel free to read them all.
