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**UPDATE** Roman coin in South TX ?

chihuahua5

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Joined
Feb 26, 2013
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Deep South Texas
Hunting w/Wife today at a Park. 3-4" deep. From my limited knowledge, it appears to be a Roman or Byzantine coin? Pics are from cellphone, sorry.

I know there's fakes, 99.9% sure Romans didn't frequent TX, lol, I've entertained the thought a kid might have got one from his Dad's collection and lost it while playing, I own some Roman coins and it appears similar in weight, size, etc...

Any ideas? :?: Thanks
 

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It's probably a "Widows Mite". No body knows what the widow put in the basket, most believe it was a Lepton, but any small coin from that era and area could be called a Widows Mite, and have been sold as such. There is a lot of jewelry made out of them
 
Thanx for posting. Be aware that: If this turns out to be a true ancient coin: It could be a rare "fluke". It's possible that ancient world coins can appear as modern fumble fingers losses.

The human tendency to collect souvenirs isn't a modern phenomenon. Eg.: soldiers from WWI and WWII brought home all sorts of oddities. And ancient coins have been handled and passed around during those times. Even in the 1950s and 1960s, for instance: If a tourist were to be walking through the open-air street vendor markets in the ancient world, it wouldn't have been uncommon to have seen a vendor selling ancient coins.

Bear in mind that there is SO much history there, that .... there are spot where random digging could produce old coins.

Hence coin-collecting (buy/sell) isn't a new phenomenon.

I once found an 1870s foreign silver in a late 1950s parking strip. It had a hole drilled in it, hence obviously lost out of a necklace, or some sort of pocket loss. I never, for a moment, considered that it might be an 1870s loss in that area.

And I know a guy who found a choice seated coin @ the dry sand of a beach, STILL IN THE PLASTIC SLEEVE with the price tag still on there.

And I know of a guy who found a Roman coin from the time of Christ, in an oldtown demolition site in Monterey , CA. He figured it was a souvenir from with a returning soldier.

Thus, while rare, just saying, it's possible that ancient coins could exist in modern places.
 
It looks ancient to me, and I have no reason to suspect fake. Based on the size, I would think 4th century roman. Unfortunately, there aren't enough details for me to guess at which ruler or mint.

Anyone who would fake a coin in this condition has low ambitions and too much time on their hands, as this is the kind of coin you would find in a dealer's "pick 'em" box at the coin shows for $10 or way less.

It's still an interesting find.

-- Tom
 
It looks ancient to me, and I have no reason to suspect fake. Based on the size, I would think 4th century roman. Unfortunately, there aren't enough details for me to guess at which ruler or mint.

Anyone who would fake a coin in this condition has low ambitions and too much time on their hands, as this is the kind of coin you would find in a dealer's "pick 'em" box at the coin shows for $10 or way less.

It's still an interesting find.

-- Tom

agree, you can also buy lots on ebay "uncleaned roman coins" for pretty cheap and if you're good at cleaning them some come up as 'nice' as this. Then as Tom in CA said...people drop em in random spots.
 
Where's the "Curse of Oak Island" narrator when you need him?


An ancient Roman coin? Here, in South Texas? Could it be that the legend of Spartacus traveling west in search of the elusive Jackalopes is true? Or is it something as simple as Hercules, despondent after killing his wife and children, took the small coin that he had been saving to purchase a new toga for her and hurled it as far as he could, landing in South Texas?"
 
Thanx for posting. Be aware that: If this turns out to be a true ancient coin: It could be a rare "fluke". It's possible that ancient world coins can appear as modern fumble fingers losses.

WRONG! My dad found a scarab in the Arizona desert. It was a surface find, but it's proof positive that the ancient Egyptians were walking amongst the native Americans, long before European settlers found this land. They probably had help from aliens in getting here.

"Hey, mate! I need to pop over to the other side of the world and drop off a load of scarabs to a chief buddy over there. Mind if I catch a ride with you on your way to area 51?"


:laughing::laughing::laughing:
 
Where's the "Curse of Oak Island" narrator when you need him?


An ancient Roman coin? Here, in South Texas? Could it be that the legend of Spartacus traveling west in search of the elusive Jackalopes is true? Or is it something as simple as Hercules, despondent after killing his wife and children, took the small coin that he had been saving to purchase a new toga for her and hurled it as far as he could, landing in South Texas?"

I read your post with that Guys voice in my head, aaarrggghhh, I can't stand it :p
 
Could be from a flee market? Lost in transaction? Lots of those sold at flee markets through the years. Just bought one for $10 last year and it was set up at a public park. Would be a possibility.
 
Could be from a flee market? Lost in transaction? Lots of those sold at flee markets through the years. Just bought one for $10 last year and it was set up at a public park. Would be a possibility.

+1, I agree, Congrats chihuahua5, Amazing find!!
 
**UPDATE** Roman coin in south TX

Thanks Forum members and my Friend who is a History Professor at a local University and also a fellow hunter/collector.

Coin is a Roman bronze, minted sometime between 218-222AD, during the rule of Emperor Elagabulus AKA Marcus Aurelius Antoninis Augustus.

Coin is one of several honoring his Mother, Julia Soaemias, who was also assassinated with him in 222AD. There were a few coins minted, due to the wear on it, we can't specifically ID which one.

How it got here, all of the guesses were good, we'll never know but I"m happy :yes:
 
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A denarius is a silver coin, however there are "limes" denarii, which were, I think, local imitations in the far extents of the Roman empire, and there were also fourees, which were originally silver plated/coated. The fourees may have been ancient counterfeits, or they could have been mint products by someone attempting to make the silver go farther.

I know that Nero was one of the emperors who debased the silver to lower purity to extend the mintage. Elagabalus was a bit of an odd duck to say the least. I think when the guards came to assassinate him, they found him hiding in the latrine (below the seats, eww!).

-- Tom
 
A denarius is a silver coin, however there are "limes" denarii, which were, I think, local imitations in the far extents of the Roman empire, and there were also fourees, which were originally silver plated/coated. The fourees may have been ancient counterfeits, or they could have been mint products by someone attempting to make the silver go farther.

I know that Nero was one of the emperors who debased the silver to lower purity to extend the mintage. Elagabalus was a bit of an odd duck to say the least. I think when the guards came to assassinate him, they found him hiding in the latrine (below the seats, eww!).

-- Tom

Tom, you're absolutely correct and I knew that, lol. I'll chalk this one up to typing as I was half asleep already at 12:07am!

As far as I know, the latrine story is is widely accepted as to how he was found. Although I think there's a couple more stories floating around đź‘Ť
 
Where's the "Curse of Oak Island" narrator when you need him?


An ancient Roman coin? Here, in South Texas? Could it be that the legend of Spartacus traveling west in search of the elusive Jackalopes is true? Or is it something as simple as Hercules, despondent after killing his wife and children, took the small coin that he had been saving to purchase a new toga for her and hurled it as far as he could, landing in South Texas?"

lol thats great

congrats on the find im glad its real!
 
Where's the "Curse of Oak Island" narrator when you need him?


An ancient Roman coin? Here, in South Texas? Could it be that the legend of Spartacus traveling west in search of the elusive Jackalopes is true? Or is it something as simple as Hercules, despondent after killing his wife and children, took the small coin that he had been saving to purchase a new toga for her and hurled it as far as he could, landing in South Texas?"

OK, I laughed..
 
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