Wondering what’s going on with the surface/metal of this particular denarius. Is it degenerative in nature? Particularly top left of bust and right side of reverse. Appreciate any comments or thoughts.
Size and weight would help. Could be a fourée. I have a fourée Denarius of Claudius... who I assume this is, but with so little detail I can't offer much help.
Would’ve never guessed that - maybe you’re right though. It seems like something ate at/is eating at the metal? Or maybe a messy strike? Not sure..
It does look quite grainy around the edges - this is normally called crystallisation and you should handle it with care as it will be brittle and prone to erosion at the edges. Here's an example of a coin of mine with something similar, though more severe: ATB, Aidan.
That weight is very much in line with 4 of the 5 examples on AC search: https://www.acsearch.info/search.ht...de=1&fr=1&it=1&es=1&ot=1¤cy=usd&order=0 The 5th being a fourée that weighs an entire gram less. Stunning coin with a unique style and of the 6 examples, by far, the most attractive Here's my sorry fourée of him:
Other that the brittleness of the OP coin, it is very nice in detail. I have no idea why mine was broken as this is the way I purchased it. Perhaps the same kind of metal deterioration. The weight of OP coin is in line with my example. CLAUDIUS AR Denarius OBVERSE: TI CLAVD CAESAR AVG P M TR P VI IMP XI, laureate head right REVERSE: PACI AVGVSTAE, Pax-Nemesis advancing right, drawing out fold of robe at neck, holding caduceus above serpent preceding her Struck at Rome, 46/7AD 3.6g, 19mm RIC39, BMC40
My exact thought... wow!!! I am so mesmerized by that portrait that I see NOTHING wrong with that coin....
While it might not be fourree, is it official? The style, especially the reverse, does not strike me as 'normal' but I am no expert on the type. I only have one and it is most definitely fourree. Perhaps it is just a matter of the market listing any denarius of Claudius but it seems that about half sold have been fourree and some that are not were not of the best silver. I had been led to believe that denarii before Nero's mid-reign debasement were better than this. It becomes obvious that there is good reason that really nice coins in fine style are expensive.
