COIN

A Modern forgery of a Roman provincial coin, possibly dating to the 19th-early 20th century. The obverse depicts the bust of Antoninus Pius, facing right. The inscription reads ΑVΤ ΚΑΙСΑΡ ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟС ΑΝΤΩΝΙΝΟС (Augustus Caesar Hadrianus Antoninus). The reverse depicts Demeter standing in biga drawn by winged and coiling serpents,advancing right, holding a long torch. The inscription reads ΘΕΑ ΔΗΜΗΤΡΙ ΝΕΙΚΑΙΕΙС (Goddess Demeter of Nicaea).

The original coin was produced in Nicaea, Greece, but this replica would have been produced elsewhere. Richard Abdy suggested it may have been produced in the Eastern Mediterranean as a souvenir for travelers on the Grand Tour, as is probably the case for a cast of a medallion (from an original in Naples Museum) also recorded on the PAS Database (LIN-BA42D8). However, it could equally be a more recent reproduction. It was probably produced by sand casting and there is evidence of filing around the edges.

John Davis conducted Portable X-Ray Flourescence (pXRF) analysis on the object with the following results:

Dimensions: diameter: 40.5mm; weight: 43.5g.

Richard Abdy, Curator of Roman coins at The British Museum.

Numismatic data

No numismatic data has been recorded for this coin yet.

Coin references

No coin references available.