Hi there, Just got an interesting coin - a silver plated 15mm VRBS Roma. I didn't have a chance to do my research yet but until now I only encountered the standard bronze examples (which I own a few). I remember reading somewhere that silver plated coins where used as part of a burial ceremony but I'm not sure... If you own such coin and can shed some light, please do. Cheers
Not sure where you read that but it would be wrong. These coins from this period were all minted with a thin silver wash, much like our modern coins are base metals with a silver looking wash. Basically, the coins were debased to a point of very small value, but they (as we) wanted to instill some confidence in the currency, thus the coating of silver. In most cases surviving coins fall into categories: Silvering remaining. Some silvering remaining. Silver worn or corroded away. Maybe another category, silver is still there but darkly tarnished.
I read it here but might misunderstood it: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=1845238 My coin is 15mm 1.6g while the one from this link is a 17mm BUT weighs 2.86g... maybe they are just not the same??
That's an interesting coin. I didn't think these were silvered... but I guess it's just because none of mine are. Attribution below: Similar example from Wildwinds: http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/ric/city_commemoratives/t.html#urbsroma Obverse: VRBS ROMA Bust type: D3 Left Upper reverse: S - two stars - R SMAL delta Alexandria RIC VIII Alexandria 8 Rarity: c2 15-16 mm the S-R are to the left and right of the stars
Yes, C is common. There are differing degrees of rarity depending on the reference. Some go from common "C" to extremely common "C2." Others go up to C3 or C4. It's safe to say that this coin type is very common but finding one with silvering makes it an uncommon example of a common coin.
It's a nice story, but its just a sales tactic. Besides, Romans didnt bury their dead, they cremated them.
IMO, this doesn't look right for 4th century silvering - I wonder if some collector in this coin's relatively recent past decided to plate it with silver in hopes to turn a $5 coin into something much more valuable?
That's entirely possible. I've seen many coins which were plated in modern times in either silver or gold.
A handful of these have been showing up at auction lately. None are die matches, but I couldn't find where any had sold in the past. I discussed it with a dealer who had one and whom I've bought from many times, and he had decided to withdraw it as a probable fake. One was sold for a pretty high price by a certain auction house as well. There were more on eBay, but I can't find links for them right now. And by the way, Roman burial practices were a mix of cremation and burial. The coin in the mouth was actually practiced sometimes. The claim of this coin type being associated with any sort of funerary ritual is nonsense though.
Hmm Do you think mine is genuine? By genuine I mean a bronze one being silver plated at some time? Or is it fake?
I think it is a genuine ancient coin. What I find particularly concerning is that the silver not only seems too thick for the period, but it seems thickest on the high points, which clearly have some circulation wear. If there was any original silvering, it would have rubbed off of the helmet and the wolf's shoulders first. Can you see any bronze inside the flan crack?
This is true of burial practices overall throughout the empire and especially so of the provinces where local practices were employed, but I imagine a 'real' Roman would not have been buried, or would not want to be at any rate. As for the coin in the mouth, it would not likely have been practiced widespread, nor for a long time frame. That would be difficult to say without seeing it in person and under magnification. Aside from the appearance of the silvering I dont see anything wrong with it. Also, its not a die match to the other examples linked above. It does appear to have quite a bit of horn silver. If it does, that is very difficult to reproduce. But then again, I have never seen horn silver on a silvered coin. It is interesting when you dig deeper. It is likely a genuine coin, the real question is where and when did the silver get applied.
For reference, here are a few silvered or partially silvered coins I have at the moment. See if you can spot how they are different from the OP coin:
I have the same issue with this tetradrachm of Gallienus. I bought solely because it had an odd silver look too it. The coin is rough & Keith Emmett had to narrow the date down for me & type as a whole. He was stumped as to why it was silver looking too but did say it probably wasn't silver but a mix of other low-value metals. Gallienus (253 - 268 A.D.) Egypt, Alexandria Billon Tetradrachm O:ΑΥΤ Κ Π ΛΙΚ ΓΑΛΛΙΗΝΟC CΕΒ. Laureate, and cuirassed bust right. R: Homonoia standing left, holding double cornucopia and raising hand; palm in right field, to left, date ΛΙΔ 21.5mm 9.05g Dattari 3816
I don’t have any doubt the coin is ancient. It’s just the slivering that is in question... was it silvered in antiquity and why? Or was it silvered in modern times and why? I don’t think this is a question that can be answered. Enjoy it as a cool ancient coin with some mysteries.
I've handled thousands of coins from this period and have never seen one of these until now. 320 pounds is a LOT for one of these. I only see two possibilities here, either it is a modern creation as these are easy to acquire for cheap and slivered recently or a horde was found to contain a few of these. Personally I would not buy one other than to study it, and then I would only pay $5 or $10 for one.
I totally agree, it's all about the mysteries, this is why many of us collect these ancient coins... but still we all want to get the assurance that these lovely artifacts are indeed ancient. Regardless of when it was silvered, I really like this one for being unique Thank you all for your wise comments.
