Record ID: SUSS-BA7F45 - ROMAN coin

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COIN

Unique ID: SUSS-BA7F45

Roman contemporary (or more recent fantasy) forgery, of a silver denarius, based on a posthumous coin of Julius Caesar and a coin of Augustus, struck post c. 29-27 BC.

It appears that this coin is loosely copied from coins of the period. The obverse conflates various elements of coins of Caesar and the inscription D[I]VO IMP is a fantasy, never being used. The reverse is based on a denarius of Augustus, struck in Italy (RIC 275a-b) and the East (RIC 544). However, the inscription normally reads AEGYPTO or AEGVPTO; AEGIPTO suggests the die-cutter is not fully literate. Furthermore, the crocodile is standing left on the copy; the originals have the crocodile right.

The British Museum has a 'fantasy coin' on photo-file which shares the same reverse and a similar obverse with the inscription DIVO IVLIO. Therefore, it does suggest that this might be a piece made in the 17th to 19th centuries, as suggested below by Marvin Tameanko.

There is no evidence on the surface that the coin is plated; however it could be a thickly plated copy where the silver has protected the copper from corrosing and becoming visible. It could also be a copy in a slightly more base silver than the original coins. Recent scientific analysis by Duncan Hook, in the Dept of Conservation and Scientific Research at the British Museum, suggests that the coin is struck from silver and that it is not a plated coin.

Interpreting the coin is difficult. Were it a plated piece, then it would be explicable as an attempt to create a coin for profit by using a smaller amount of silver. However, why would someone create a 'fantasy piece' like this in the ancient period from solid silver? The best explanation seems to be that it was made for people to buy whilst on the Grand Tour in Italy. It was subsequently lost near Brighton.

Notes:

A note from the National Finds Adviser, 10.11.2010:

Since this coin appeared in the Press, it has caused some discussion. One suggestion is that it was struck by a Roman general or other leader at the time in support of Octavian. I am not convinced by this argument as Octavian was effectively sole ruler after the Battle of Actium in 31 BC and there would be no need for local issues.

Another interesting communication has come from Marvin Tameanko which I add below. The problem with this interpretation is explaining how this coin ended up in the ground in a wooded area:

I have seen many pieces like this coin before. Twenty years ago I examined a whole coin cabinet of 200 fantasy pieces created by European artists and struck in sterling silver for young noblemen doing the "Grand Tour" of Europe in the 17th to 19th centuries. This was a finishing school, educational tour undertaken by mostly Englishmen who went abroad to examine and sketch ancient ruins, swim the Hellespont, have dinner in the ruins of the Parthenon in moonlight, climb to the top of Trajan's Column, and perhaps later write about their travels. The usual souvenirs they acquired on this tour were artifacts of antiquity like stones from the Coliseum and coins, and when authentic items became scarce merchants stepped in with good copies made from the best materials. The coin artists did imaginative compositions combining elements from several genuine coins. Inscriptions were often garbled. Some families set up coin cabinets of these artistic copies and added to them for generations. These coins often come onto the auction market and are described as "educational sets of coins" but they were more than that. From its style and silver content, the coin under discussion is an orphan example from one of these sets.

Marvin Tameanko

Subsequent actions

Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder

Chronology

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

Dimensions and weight

Thickness: 2.5 mm
Weight: 3.65 g
Diameter: 18.1 mm
Quantity: 1

Materials and construction

Primary material: Silver [scope notes | view all attributed records]
Manufacture method: Struck or hammered [scope notes | view all attributed records]
Completeness: Complete [scope notes | view all attributed records]

Coin data (numismatics)

Denomination: Denarius (Empire) [scope notes | View all attributed records]
Ruler/issuer: Augustus [scope notes | View all attributed records]
Reece period: Period 1 [Pre AD 41] [scope notes | View all attributed records]
Obverse description: Laureate head of Caesar right; to left, lituus and other unclear item
Obverse inscription: Star D V O – IMP
Reverse description: Crocodile facing left
Reverse inscription: AEGIPTO CAPTA
Die axis measurement: 6 o'clock [scope notes | View all attributed records]
Degree of wear: Slightly worn: very fine [scope notes | View all attributed records]
Status: Contemporary copy

Coin references

No coin references available.

Spatial data

Region: South East And London
County: East Sussex
District: Brighton And Hove
To be known as: Brighton

Method of discovery: Metal detector [scope notes]
General landuse: Woodland [scope notes]
Specific landuse: Parkland [scope notes]

Discovery dates

Date(s) of discovery: Monday 2nd August 2010

Personal details

Recorded by: Ms Laura Burnett - [ view all attributed records]
Identified by: Ms Laura Burnett - [view all attributed records]
Secondary identifier: Mr Sam Moorhead - [view all attributed records]

Other reference numbers

References cited

No references cited so far.

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Approved comments on this record

Prof. Dr. Alicia M. Canto wrote @ 08:35:52 on the 11th November 2010.
See others forgeries of the same coin type in Roman Provincial Coinage (RPC) vol. 1, 2003, p. 725, or in the Fake Coin Reports, p. 5: http://www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/thumbnails.php?album=2&page=5 (photo: http://www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/displayimage.php?album=2&pos=292), with different mistakes. Maybe copy of AU RIC 544 (but COS VII). The whole case is very curious. Regards, A.C.