Trajan. A.D. 98-117. Æ as. 8.59 gm. 26 mm. Rome mint. Struck A.D. 100. His laureate head right; IMP CAES NERVA TRAIAN AVG GERM P M / Mars standing right, holding spear and shield set on ground to right; TR POT COS III P P S C. RIC II 410. Good Fine; brown patina; some roughness.

This collection of early Roman Imperial bronze was formed by an American collector in the Midwest, buying coins in the 1950's from major London coin houses. He affixed collector 'H' numbers written in ink on lacquer on many of the coins. We have correspondence dated in 1950 and 1951 with Leonard Forrer at Spink & Son, Ltd. and William French at Glendining & Co. Ltd. in London, as well as Earle K. Stanton in Los Angeles, Paul S. Seitz in Pennsylvania, and Edward Gans, Numismatic Fine Arts in New York City.

Trajan expanded the Empire with his Dacian Wars, carried out a "spectacular building programme in Rome," and built roads, bridges, and aqueducts throughout the Empire. Late in his reign he turned to the Eastern frontier and added new provinces with his Eastern campaigns.