Durchmesser 32,4 mm
Gewicht 25,97 g
Jahr der Ausgabe 109
Metall Orichalcum
Münzstätte Rom
Typen Sestertius
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Virtuelle Galerie
The reign of Emperor Trajan saw such a wealth of fascinating coinage issues that, in my opinion, it is difficult to pinpoint those that would be most symbolic of him. After all, can the coins commemorating the Germanic campaigns be considered less representative than the issues from the Parthian campaign? What about the famous architectural types or the coinage struck during the two Dacian Wars.
A great example of the latter is this beautiful Trajan sestertius, dated AD 108–109/110 (as per Prof. Woytek), featuring a remarkably broad portrait of the Emperor on the obverse and the personification of Dacia on the reverse, seated on a shield among captured arms beneath a tropaeum, Dacia rests her head on her hand, shedding a tear over the forces of Decebalus vanquished by the Romans.
This specimen comes from the collection of Dr. W.R., exhibiting the presence of an old assemblage. As noted by Prof. Awianowicz, the coin once had its patina removed a long time ago, having since developed a new layer over the years.
There are two additional intriguing aspects worth mentioning. Firstly, the noticeably lighter area near the Emperor's ear, reminiscent of statues rubbed to a shine by tourists for good luck. Perhaps the high-relief section made slight contact with the edges of an envelope, or the coin was stored face-down on a tray, with the reverse featuring Dacia displayed - which is an understandable choice in this case. Secondly, a slight cut or test mark on the obverse edge raises the question of whether, centuries ago, someone had stripped the sestertius of its patina and revealing the naturally golden hue of the orichalcum tested it on a touchstone to ensure they weren’t dealing with an ancient medal struck in a precious metal. Without a doubt, this piece is one of my favorite acquisitions in recent months.
Referenz : Woytek's MIR 326b, RIC 564 var.