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Can someone please identify this coin?

YQQYQQ Posts: 3,314 ✭✭✭✭✭

This coin came as part of a collection and I have no idea what it is, where it is from and what its worth might be.
Hopefully someone here can help
Thank you all

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Comments

  • SapyxSapyx Posts: 2,220 ✭✭✭✭✭

    The portrait is distinctly Roman - specifically, emperor Hadrian - but the lettering is Roman-era Greek. This is therefore a Roman Provincial coin, rather than "Roman Imperial" coin.

    It looks thick in these photos, so my initial assumption would be "Roman Egypt" where thick, dumpy debased-silver coins are common. Sure enough, there's a base-silver tetradrachm of Hadrian with this design: Milne 1450-1455, Sear (Roman) 3743. The reverse portrait is that of Nilus, the personification of the Nile River. The reverse text is L ENNEA K D, which translates to "Year 19". The 19th year of Hadrian equates to AD 134-135. Example on Goldberg Auctions: http://images.goldbergauctions.com/php/lot_auc.php?site=1&sale=72&lot=4459&lang=1

    Is it genuine? I am uncertain - I'd expect a billon coin of Hadrian to still look kind-of silvery, as there's supposed to be as much silver in this coin as in a finer-silver but smaller denarius. And this coin looks distinctly brassy. The fuzziness might be a casting sign, or it might simply be because it's made of billion and billon is notorious for corroding badly. The Goldberg example (which is slabbed) is also fuzzy, but more silvery-looking.

    So it might be fake; it might be genuine but overcleaned; I can't easily tell.

    Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.
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  • 291fifth291fifth Posts: 24,371 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I just don't like the look of it. My gut feeling is that is a fake but I am no expert in Roman Provincial coinage.

    All glory is fleeting.
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