Posted 7 years ago
Michelleb007
(256 items)
I am really hoping someone can help me ID this coin; I believe it is Roman, and suspect it may have Hadrian's profile on it? My in-laws used to live in Norwich, England in the late 1960's, and I know they often visited Hadrian's Wall...I have looked at many images of Roman coins and some in copper or bronze seem to be pretty close matches. I can't ID the back of this one very well; it looks like a person who is perhaps holding something to their left? I'd love to know if the coin is Roman, if it is Hadrian, and what material it is made of. Thanks so much for any help you can provide!
(Update: Thanks so much beyemvey for identifying the coin for me as being one with Emperor Valens!)
Spink is a really great auction company and they have their sales catalogs available. You can peruse them to find your coin.
T A
Thanks, TubeAmp - I really appreciate the suggestion and I'll see if I can find my coin there!
Enjoy. It's hit or miss, but I found several that were unknown up until that point. Kind of a nice rainy day task, if you know what I mean.
T A
Thanks, TubeAmp - I am definitely getting that when it comes to coins! ;)
Hi Michelle,
Later than Hadrian... 364-367 AD
Obverse inscription is DN Valens PF AVG. It is the emperor Valens.
Reverse is "Gloria Romanorum" Emperor holding labarum, dragging kneeling captive by the hair.
http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/ric/valens/i.html
Bob, thank you, thank you!! I really appreciate it! This was my father-in-laws and it just came to us - I really wanted to know more about it, and you came through for us! :)
(I have no knowledge of Latin, and couldn't make out any of the words at all!)
DN - abbreviation for dominus noster - "our lord"
Valens - his name
PF - abbreviation for Pius Felix - "pious happy"
AVG - abbreviation for Augustus - "emperor"
So essentially, "Our lord Valens, pious happy emperor"
"Gloria Romanorum" - essentially "The glory of Rome".
Gloria Romanorum... isn't she that Italian girl who married Norman England? (Old historian joke :-)
Thank you, Bob! This is great information - the translations help a lot. It has been really interesting looking at other versions of our coin. It is the oldest human artifact I have ever held - very, very interesting. I wonder how my in-laws came upon it!
(I love your historian joke!)
interesting but of no help I do not know anything about coins