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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Marsyas Mike, post: 7896526, member: 85693&quot;]Thank you, [USER=82322]@Ed Snible[/USER] for that information.&nbsp; Indeed, quite a few of the Ukrainian denarii are crude in appearance (not all, however).&nbsp; That these are local imitations makes a lot of sense.&nbsp; The illustration Ed provides is an excellent example.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>I just found this article on the Romans in the Ukraine:</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;During their rule in what is today Ukraine, the Romans established economic and cultural contacts with the neighboring <a href="http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CS%5CC%5CScythians.htm" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CS%5CC%5CScythians.htm" rel="nofollow">Scythians</a>, <a href="http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CS%5CA%5CSarmatians.htm" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CS%5CA%5CSarmatians.htm" rel="nofollow">Sarmatians</a>, and <a href="http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CT%5CR%5CTribes.htm" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CT%5CR%5CTribes.htm" rel="nofollow">tribes</a> of the <a href="http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CZ%5CA%5CZarubyntsiculture.htm" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CZ%5CA%5CZarubyntsiculture.htm" rel="nofollow">Zarubyntsi culture</a>. The coastal cities were thriving centers where agricultural products from the Ukrainian territories were traded for Roman-imported weapons, jewelry, textiles, ceramics, and other goods. Many Roman merchants settled there and traveled into the Ukrainian hinterland. <b>Roman coins have been found in over 1,000 locations in Ukraine, and 137 large hoards have been discovered there, evidence that the Roman silver denarius was a principal currency in Ukraine in the 2nd to 5th centuries. </b>Archeologists’ discoveries of Roman artifacts of daily use, luxury items, and <a href="http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CP%5CA%5CPagan.htm" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CP%5CA%5CPagan.htm" rel="nofollow">pagan</a> idols indicate that the Romans influenced the material culture and religious worldview of Ukraine’s ancient inhabitants.&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CR%5CO%5CRomans.htm" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CR%5CO%5CRomans.htm" rel="nofollow">http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages\R\O\Romans.htm</a></p><p><br /></p><p>If the denarius circulated from the 2nd to 5th (!) century, that would explain the wear - and the presence of a lot of &quot;homemade&quot; varieties as Ed notes, since Rome stopped minting these in the 3rd century, so new supplies were nil.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>This reminds me of the milled Spanish Colonial 8 reales that circulated in China from the 18th century up to the 1930s - many of these were copies (many in good silver) made in the UK, USA and elsewhere.&nbsp; Chinese merchants paid a premium for old Spanish designs, so it was worth fabricating new ones. </p><p><br /></p><p>As for the denarius in the Ukraine, I also notice that very few antoniniani show up in the eBay auctions - even the nicer Gordian/Philip types.&nbsp; Just denarii, mostly Antonine.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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