An extremely rare denarius of Trajan (2nd known example) with an error in Emperor's name (A.D. 101)

During the reign of Emperor Marcus Ulpius Nerva Traianus, the Roman Empire reached its greatest territorial extent (in the year 117 AD). According to the 18th-century historian Edward Gibbon, Trajan, the second of the five Good Emperors he defined, also inaugurated an era of peak happiness and prosperity for mankind. The Senate, during Trajan's lifetime, granted him the title of Best Princeps (Latin: Optimus Princeps), which the Roman populace,  his successors, and admirers of the Empire in subsequent centuries fully endorsed. The first emperor from outside Italy, born in the province of Hispania Baetica, Trajan made his mark on history, inter alia, as a victorious commander, a prudent and just ruler, and a great builder (with the distinguished Apollodorus of Damascus at his side).

Now imagine that in an empire operating like a Swiss watch (with equally strict quality control), in the year 101 AD in Rome, during Trajan's fourth consulship, a denarius was minted in the imperial mint with an error in his name (sic!), omitting the letter "E" in the name "NERVA," adopted from his adoptive father and predecessor. Until recently, even the most eminent experts on Trajan's coinage were unaware of the existence of a coin with such a shameful oversight. This is the second known specimen, not recorded in either the Roman Imperial Coinage or the catalog by Professor Bernhard Woytek. Interestingly, it was struck with the same die as the first example. It is an extremely rare piece and a great honor to possess it in one's collection.

Référence : Not in RIC, Not in Woytek

Collection : Marcus Ulpius Traianus - The Optimus Princeps