Record ID: HESH-AA4C47 - ROMAN coin hoard

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COIN HOARD

Unique ID: HESH-AA4C47

Object type certainty: Certain

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86 Bronze Roman coins dating to the 1st - 2nd century AD. Prob deposition date c. 180 ish AD.

Latest securely datable coin is Antoninus Pius, TR P XVIII (AD 154-5), but closing date is given as AD 161 due to the less datable issues of the reign present (e.g. the Faustina II coins).
The coins were typically in poor states of preservation and no images were taken at the British Museum.

The Pottery by Peter Reavill
Twenty-one sherds of an oxidised (red coloured) coarseware pottery vessel / storage jar of early Roman date. These sherds represent approximately 1/3 of the entire vessel used to deposit this Roman hoard in, and include a large section of the base of the pot. Many of the sherds have a mid-green concreted copper alloy corrosion product adhering to them; this directly associated them with the coins described herein. The style of the vessel is well documented being made from the local 'Severn Valley Ware' having a fine, micaceous fabric containing occasional limestone fragments, ill-sorted rounded quartz and iron ore. Multiple kiln sites for the production of this pottery are postulated but few have been excavated. Production of this 'ware' is thought to start in the 1st century AD and continue into the late 4th (Ellis, 2000:247-248).

One residual sherd of Mortaria, dated to the late 1st - 3rd century AD. This sherd should be considered as residual and therefore not part of the hoard. As such it is not to be considered as treasure as it is not directly associated with the deposit of coins.

Large limestone block: It has been noted that similar stones have been associated with hoards in Shropshire (2008-T356 Hoard of Coins from the Oswestry Area, and 2009-T450 Hoard of coins from the Shrewsbury Area) being used as potential lids for the vessels / or findspot markers. In this case there is no direct evidence for the association between the hoard and stone.

Bibliography:

Ellis, P. (ed.) 2000: The Roman Baths and Macellum at Wroxeter. English Heritage Report 9. English Heritage; London.

Disposition

On Loan tro Newport History Society

Summary

Vespasian (AD 69-79) 1 (dp)

Uncertain Flavian I (AD 69-81) 4 (incl. 3 dp/as)

Domitian (AD 81-96) 4 (all dp/as)

Nerva (AD 96-8) 1

Trajan (AD 98-117) 20 (incl. 3 dp/as)

Hadrian (AD 117-38) 22 (incl. 9 dp/as)

Antoninus Pius (AD 138-61) 4 (incl. 3 dp/as)

Aurelius Caesar 1 (dp/as)

Faustina II (under Pius) 2 (both dp/as)

Uncertain emperor 27 (incl. 14 dp/as)

Total 86

CATALOGUE

Sestertii unless noted after weights as dp (dupondius) or as

VESPASIAN (1)

Mint of Lyon

No.	Obv.	Rev.	Bust	BMC	RIC	Qty.	Wt. (g)
1.	...]CAESAR VESPASIAN AV[... (radiate head of Vespasian; globe on end of bust)	...A]VG S C (Illegible fig. probably Pax standing left, holding patera over altar) [1]	A1	cf. 805B/816	cf. 1144/91	1	9.47 (dp)

Uncertain Flavian (4)

No.	Obv.	Rev.	Bust	BMC	RIC	Qty.	Wt. (g)
2.	- (laureate head of Vespasian or Titus)	(Illegible fig.)	A1	?	?	1	19.95
3.	- (heads of Vespasian or Titus)	illegible	Z	?	?	3	9.14, 8.54, 7.92 (dp/as)

DOMITIAN (4)

No.	Obv.	Rev.	Bust	BMC	RIC	Qty.	Wt. (g)
4.	Illegible (radiate head of Domitian)	Illegible figs.	Z	?	?	2	8.87, 8.48 (dp)
5.	IMP CAE[...G]ERM[...] (laureate head of Domitian)	illegible[2]	A1*	?	?	1	7.23 (as)
6.	(laureate head of Domitian)	illegible	Z	?	?	1	2.30 frag. of dp/as

NERVA (1)

No.	Obv.	Rev.	Bust	BMC	RIC	Qty.	Wt. (g)
7.	Illegible (laureate head of Nerva)	Illegible	Z*	?	?	1	26.19

TRAJAN (20)

No.	Obv.	Rev.	Bust	BMC	RIC	Qty.	Wt. (g)
8.	illegible (laureate head of Trajan)	[S P Q R OPTIMO PRINCIPI S C] (Dacia mourning beside trophy)	Z	cf.785 etc	cf. 564 etc	2	22.57, 18.44
9.	[IMP CAES NERV]AE TRAIAN[...]	[S P Q R OPTIMO PRINCIPI] S C (Spes adv. l.)	A3*	cf.810 etc	cf. 519 etc	1	20.86
10.	illegible (laureate head of Trajan)	[S P Q R OPTIMO PRINCIPI S C]//[AR]AB•ADQ[VIS] (Arabia stg. l.)	Z	cf.877 etc	cf. 466 etc	1	20.79
11.	illegible (head of Trajan)	[...]//S C in ex. (?Trajan riding down foe)	Z	cf.900 etc	cf. 545 etc	1	11.12 - heavily encrusted dp /as
12.	[IMP CAES NERV]AE TRAIAN[...]	[S P Q R OPTIMO PR]INCIPI // S C in ex. (equestrian statue of Trajan)	Z	cf.969	cf. 598	1	18.98
13.	IMP CAES NERVA T[RAIAN AVG...] Illegible	Illegible	Z	?	?	1	5.71 frag of dp/as
14.	IMP [CAES NERVAE TRA]IANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P CO[S...]	[S P Q R OPTIMO PRI]NCIPI [S C] (illegible fig.)	A2*	?	?	1	21.27
15.	(IMP CAES NERVAE TR)AIA[...]	illegible	A2*	?	?	1	22.57
16.	[IMP CAES NERVAE TR]AIANO AVG[...]	illegible	A2*	?	?	1	21.01
17.	[IMP CAES NER]VAE TR]AIANO AVG GER[...]	illegible fig.	Z*	?	?	1	20.08
18.	IMP CAES NERVAE[...]AVG GER[...]	illegible std. fig.	A3*	?	?	1	22.32
19.	...]IANO AVG GER D [...]	illegible	Z	?	?	1	11.06 (dp)
20.	illegible (laureate draped bust of Trajan)	illegible	C2*	?	?	1	12.77
21.	illegible (laureate head of Trajan)	illegible	Z*	?	?	5	21.49, 19.81, 19.00, 16.70, 15.83
22.	illegible (head of Trajan?)	illegible	Z	?	?	1	5.31 frag. of dp /as

HADRIAN (22)

No.	Obv.	Rev.	Bust	BMC	RIC	Qty.	Wt. (g)
23.	[IMP CAES DI]VI TRAIAN AVG F TRAIAN HADRIAN [OPT AVG GER]	[DAC PARTHICO P M TR P COS P P] // S C in ex. (Trajan, standing right passing a globe to Hadrian, who stands left.)	B1*	1101	534a	1	20.88
24.	illegible (bust of Hadrian)	[...] S C// FORT RED in ex. (Fortuna std. l.)	A2*	cf. 1111 etc	cf. 541a etc	1	19.57
25.	[IMP CAESAR T]RAIANVS HADRI[ANVS AVG]	[...] S C// FORT RED in ex. (Fortuna std. l.)	A2*	cf. 1130 etc	cf. 551a etc	1	22.88
26.	IMP CAES[AR TR]AIAN[VS HADRIANVS AVG]	[...] S C// FORT RE[D] in ex. (Fortuna std. l.)	A2	cf. 1116 etc	cf. 541c etc	1	10.45 (dp)
27.	[IMP CAESAR TR]AIANVS HADRIAN[VS AVG]	[...]//SECVR AVG in ex. (Securitas std. l.)	Z*	cf. 1163 etc	cf. 569 etc	1	23.35
28.	[IMP CAESAR TRAIAN(?VS) HADRIANVS AVG P M TR P COS III]	[AETERNITAS AVGVSTI] S [C] (Aeternitas, standing front, head left, holding up busts of Sun and the Moon.)	C1	cf. 1220	cf. 597b	1	11.12 (dp)
29.	(IMP CAESAR TRAIANVS HADRIANVS AVG)	[VIRTVTI AVGVSTI S C] (Virtus, standing right, holding spear and parazonium.)	A2	1240	605	2	12.60, 9.85 (dp)
30.	HADRIANVS AVGVSTVS P P	HILARI[TA]S P R S C//COS III (Hilaritas, standing left, holding long palm and cornucopia: at her feet, a small male figure, on the left facing right, touching the palm and a small female figure, stands on the right, touching the dress of Hilaritas.)	A1	1375	974	1	11.24 (dp)
31.	[HADRIAN]VS AVGVSTVS	[CL]EMENTIA [AVG COS III P P] S C (Clementia, standing left, holding patera and sceptre.)	D2*	1382	701	1	21.42
32.	[HADRI]ANVS A[VGVSTVS]	CLEM[ENTIA AVG COS] III P P S C (Clementia, standing left, holding patera and sceptre.)	Z+	1434	714	1	13.15 (dp/as)
33.	[IMP CAESAR TR]AIANVS [HADRIANVS AVG]	illegible	A2*	?	?	1	23.95
34.	(IMP CAESAR TRAIANVS HADRIANVS AVG)	illegible	A2*	?	?	4	22.97, 21.15, 20.26, 19.32
35.	[HADRI]ANVS [AVGVSTVS / AVG COS III P P]	illegible	Z	?	?	1	18.79
36.	[H]ADRIANVS [AVGVSTVS / AVG COS III P P]	illegible	C2*	?	?	1	18.86
37.	illegible (early style radiate bust of Hadrian)	illegible	A2	?	?	1	13.29 (dp)
38.	illegible (early style ?radiate bust of Hadrian)	illegible	Z	?	?	1	10.97 (dp)
39.	illegible (radiate head of Hadrian)	illegible	Z	?	?	1	8.86 (dp)
40.	illegible (head of Hadrian)	illegible	Z	?	?	1	7.48 (dp/as)

REIGN OF ANTONINUS PIUS (7)

No.	Obv.	Rev.	Bust	BMC	RIC	Qty.	Wt. (g)
41.	[ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P] TR P XVII	LIBE[RTAS CO]S IIII S C (Libertas stg. r., holding pileus)	A1	1948	920	1	9.75 (dp)
42.	[ANTO]NINVS AVG [PIVS P P TR P ?]	[LIBERTAS COS IIII] S C (Libertas stg. r., holding pileus)	A1	cf.1948 etc	cf.920 etc	1	9.55 (dp)
43.	[ANTONINVS] AVG PIVS P P TR P XVIII	FELI[CITAS COS IIII] S C (Felicitas stg. l., holding long caduceus and corn-ears)	A1	1966	-[3]	1	8.92 (dp)
44.	illegible (probably head of Pius)	illegible	Z	?	?	1	19.72
45.	illegible (bust of Aurelius Caesar)	illegible (Minerva stg. l., holding owl and spear)	D2+	cf. 1960 etc	cf. 1317 etc	1	6.81 (dp / as)
46.	FAVSTINA AVG PII AVG FIL	S C (Diana stg. l. holding arrow and resting on bow)	E1*	2191	1405a	2	8.26, 7.37 (dp / as)

UNCERTAIN EMPEROR (27)

No.	Obv.	Rev.	Bust	BMC	RIC	Qty.	Wt. (g)
47.	Illegible	Illegible	Z	?	?	13	23.76, 20.42, 20.39, 17.37, 16.42, 15.64, 15.26, 13.49, 10.73 (also two pairs of fused sestertii: 32.11 and 30.44)
48.	illegible	illegible	Z	?	?	14	9.06, 8.69, 8.44, 8.38, 7.20, 6.78, 6.22, 5.86, 5.18, 5.08, 4.95, 4.26, 3.51, 2.79 (dp/as)

[1] Metal surfaces are in good condition but coin is extremely worn.

[2] Metal surfaces are in good condition but coin is extremely worn.

[3] Dupondius version of RIC 937.

Richard Abdy,

Dept Coins and Medals,

British Museum

Subsequent actions

Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder after being disclaimed as Treasure

Treasure details

Treasure case tracking number: 2009T431

Chronology

Broad period: ROMAN
Period from: ROMAN [scope notes | view all attributed records]

Dimensions and weight

Quantity: 86

Materials and construction

Primary material: Copper alloy [scope notes | view all attributed records]
Manufacture method: Struck or hammered [scope notes | view all attributed records]

Spatial data

Region: West Midlands
County: Shropshire
District: Bridgnorth
To be known as: Sheriffhales

Method of discovery: Metal detector [scope notes]
General landuse: Cultivated land [scope notes]

Personal details

Found by: This information is restricted for your login.
Recorded by: Mr Peter Reavill - [ view all attributed records]
Identified by: Mr Peter Reavill - [view all attributed records]
Secondary identifier: Mr Richard Abdy - [view all attributed records]

Other reference numbers

Treasure case number: 2009T431

References cited

No references cited so far.

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