New Hoard of Denarii Found

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Mat, Jul 14, 2011.

  1. Mat

    Mat Ancient Coincoholic

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  3. randygeki

    randygeki Coin Collector

    Thats pretty cool, and with a nice variety for only 21 coins
     
  4. Bart9349

    Bart9349 Junior Member

    Mat: Thank you for another great link. I wish there were close-up pictures as well as pictures of the reverses.

    Good stuff. Thank you, again.

    guy
     
  5. swish513

    swish513 Penny & Cent Collector

    nice link, thanks for sharing! i'm with bart and wish they had posted pics of the reverses.
     
  6. Mat

    Mat Ancient Coincoholic

    No problem, I know they usually dont get many replies but I still enjoy reading them and sharing for folks who do like these stories.

    I really like the Nervas...
     
  7. Bart9349

    Bart9349 Junior Member

    It is interesting that the article states they were found under the floor of an apartment dated AD 180-200.

    If this is correct, some of the coins could have been in circulation for nearly a 100 years. (Nerva ruled AD 96-98.)

    This is consistent with the thought that many silver coins frequently circulated decades and even centuries before they were hoarded and removed from circulation during the later silver debasement.

    Debasement of Roman coinage.gif

    Once again, good stuff.

    guy
     
  8. Bart9349

    Bart9349 Junior Member

    P.S. You have to love Gresham's law:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gresham's_law

    guy
     
  9. Gao

    Gao Member

    Looks like the bottom center is Vespasian, so we can push back the date to 79 at the latest, meaning one coin there could have exceeded a century of circulation.
     
  10. willieboyd2

    willieboyd2 First Class Poster

    They look like different varieties.

    Somebody's coin collection, perhaps?

    :)
     
  11. Bart9349

    Bart9349 Junior Member

    Your statement has me thinking: Wouldn't one bury the most precious of their precious metal coins and spend the more recently debased coinage?

    If Vespasian is the earliest coin in the hoard, what is the latest?

    I assume that by AD 200 the debasement of the coinage was noticeable. The more recent coinage would have been used for daily spending first since they were officially the same value as the more intrinsically valuable purer and older silver coinage. (See Gresham's law.) The older, more valuable coinage would have been "hoarded."

    guy
     
  12. randygeki

    randygeki Coin Collector

    I was thinking that too
     
  13. ikandiggit

    ikandiggit Currency Error Collector

    Money for the milk man?
     
  14. Bart9349

    Bart9349 Junior Member

    In the middle row, I can see a Hadrian (117-138), Nerva (96-97), and a Marcus Aurelius (161-180), and an Antonius Pius (138-161). In the top row is a (Diva) Faustina I, wife of Antonius Pius (died 141)...I think.

    Can anyone else make out any of the other coins?

    My tired eyes can barely see the screen, now.

    As Willieboyd suggested, maybe this really was someone's coin collection.

    guy
     
  15. Numismania

    Numismania You hockey puck!!

  16. randygeki

    randygeki Coin Collector

    I see Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, A Pius, L. Verus, M. Aurelius, Commodus? Faustina I, and Vespasian?
     
  17. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    Middle row right is Divus Marcus Aurelius DIVVS M ANTONINVS PIVS making it the latest coin in the group (providing the date of not earlier than 180 for the deposit). To my eye, the oddballs here are the two Nervas which seem less worn than one might expect from their date.

    From the article: "Twenty-one denarii in the late second century represented a substantial sum being roughly one tenth of a ranking auxiliary’s gross annual salary and the equivalent of perhaps two or three thousand pounds in today’s money." I realize that we are amid serious inflation but this is higher than we usually see denarii converted into "today's money". I know nothing of the pay rates for a "ranking auxiliary" but assume they made less than a Roman legionary of equal rank.


     
  18. willieboyd2

    willieboyd2 First Class Poster

    I am even more sure that the group was a
    numismatic collection.

    Has anyone seen an image of the coin reverses?

    :)
     
  19. Mat

    Mat Ancient Coincoholic

    Ive looked for other articles pertaining to this and nothing :/
     
  20. willieboyd2

    willieboyd2 First Class Poster

    The finders are keeping the reverses secret for some reason.

    Why the cover-up?

    :)
     
  21. randygeki

    randygeki Coin Collector

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