Watch List notes:

THE ROMAN EMPIRE
Galba, 68 – 69

Aureus, restitution issue by Trajan circa 112-117, AV 7.30 g. GALBA – IMPERATOR Laureate bust r. Rev. IMP CAESAR TRAIAN AVG GER DAC P P REST Libertas standing l., holding pileus and vindicta. C 354. BMC 701. RIC 824. CBN 480 (these dies). Woytek 860.2 (these dies).
Very rare and in exceptional condition for the issue. A bold portrait struck
in high relief and a pleasant light reddish tone, extremely fine


Trajan's restoration aurei are distinct from the denarii of that series not only for their denomination but because they restore coin types of quite different periods that overlap only during the late Republic and the principate of Augustus. While the 50 recorded types of denarii replicate issues from the early Republic through the reign of Augustus, the 28 known types of aurei restore issues of rulers from Julius Caesar through Nerva. Due to their different ranges of coverage, the aurei consist mainly of portrait types, whereas the denarii usually bear portraits of deities.

Just one reverse type – Libertas standing – was used for Galba; however, there are two variants of the obverse, with the inscription GALBA IMPERATOR being arranged differently in each case. The style of Galba's laureate bust is extraordinary, in keeping with the exceptionally high standards applied to every issue in the series. This shows that some of the mint's most gifted and experienced engravers were given the task of engraving dies for the series. That, alone, demonstrates that the series was somewhat of a priority in A.D. 112/3, when these coins are believed to have been struck. Though no evidence survives describing who was responsible for creating this series, it is tempting to believe it was Trajan himself, for it would have been yet another impressive domestic project for him to undertake prior to his departure on the Parthian campaign of 114-116.