An Old Coin Far from Home

[John Conduitt]

I don't know much about denarii of the Republic, other than this isn't in great condition. But that isn't surprising, given it was found in Suffolk, England yet struck 174 years before the Roman conquest of Britain. Perhaps it arrived with Julius Caesar's invasion, a mere 76 years after it was struck, but Suffolk is still a fair distance from Kent where he landed.

Lucius Postumius Albinus Denarius, 131BC

Rome. Silver, 18mm, 3.57g. Helmeted head of Roma right, apex behind, mark of value below chin. Mars driving galloping quadriga right, holding trophy, shield, and spear; L POST ALB/ROMA (RRC/Crawford 252/1). Found near Lavenham, Suffolk, in 2018. Portable Antiquities Scheme: SF-C5FD5D.

Nor is it unique. Many similar denarii are found here, including another of the same coin found in Hampshire, down the road from where I live (but even further from Suffolk). Both are very worn, suggesting they'd been circulating a long time before they were lost. Presumably, the Romans brought them with them after the conquest. In 200 years, this coin must have passed through the hands of hundreds of Romans and Celts, perhaps every step of the way from Rome to Britain.

Lavenham, by the way, is a beautiful village. I don't think there was anything there in Roman times, but by the medieval era it was a wealthy wool trade town.

[Spaniard]

Very nice John!...Lovely to know where a particular coin was found..

And yes your particular piece certainly has some stories to tell.

[thenickelguy]

Was it found with a metal detector ? 

 

Edited June 29, 2022 by thenickelguy

[NewStyleKing]

Coins circulated for a long time and some became fixtures sort of. The most famous long circulated Roman coins was the Marcus Antonius legionary coins that were still circulating and getting more and more worn for 2 centuries after Actium! So popular that Trajan did a copy and introduced it into the main coinage called a restitution issue.  Some greek coins copied and used to pay mercenaries coins of Antiochos Vll wre copied faithfully by the Cappadocians, the tetradrachms  of Phillip Philadelphus  copied by Aulus Gabinius, types became type imobiliare, like the Aesillas coinage, the First Meris of macedonia...etc the Thasos imitatives. Familiarity seems to be the key.

NSK=John

 

  

[John Conduitt]

7 hours ago, thenickelguy said:

Was it found with a metal detector ? 

Yes I think 90%+ of coins in Britain are now found that way.

6 hours ago, NewStyleKing said:

Coins circulated for a long time and some became fixtures sort of. The most famous long circulated Roman coins was the Marcus Antonius legionary coins that were still circulating and getting more and more worn for 2 centuries after Actium!

Yes I have one very worn Legionary denarius from a hoard deposited in AD193, 225 years after it was struck. The coinage had yet to be debased and the Mark Antonys actually contained less silver than the current coins, which meant there was no incentive to hoard or melt them down.

Mark Antony Legionary Denarius, 32-31BCTravelling mint. Silver, 16mm, 3.0g. Galley, ANT AVG above, III VIR RPC below. Aquila between two standards, LEG (Legion number) (RSC 27). From the Westbury Sub Mendip (Somerset) Hoard 2016 of 188 denarii. PAS ID: SOM-F1847A. This must also have arrived in Britain after the conquest, but was used for 150 afterwards.

What's interesting is that within 50 years of this hoard of denarii, virtually all denarii disappeared from circulation, to be replaced by debased antoniniani. The denarii were either melted down or buried, having been a fixture for 400 years.

Edited June 29, 2022 by John Conduitt