Leu Numismatik AG
Web Auction 14 12-13 Dec 2020
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Trajan, 98-117. Denarius (Silver, 20 mm, 3.10 g, 6 h), Rome, 114-116. IMP TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P Laureate head of Trajan to right, with slight drapery on his left shoulder. Rev. P M TR P COS VI P P S P Q R Roma or Virtus standing front, head to right, holding inverted spear in her right hand and parazonium in her left. BMC -. Cohen -. RIC -. Woytek -. Apparently unpublished. Struck from a somewhat worn obverse die, otherwise, about extremely fine.
This is an odd coin in that it combines an obverse of 107-108 with a reverse of 114-116! While such a coupling is certainly very unlikely on an official coin, style and metal of the coin are excellent and this cataloguer is therefore inclined to accept it as the product of the mint in Rome. If this is true, it does explain the difference in die wear between the obverse and the much fresher reverse. Clearly the striking of the coin cannot have been intentional, however: it must have been an error by a mint worker, who used an old obverse die that somehow escaped destruction.
This is an odd coin in that it combines an obverse of 107-108 with a reverse of 114-116! While such a coupling is certainly very unlikely on an official coin, style and metal of the coin are excellent and this cataloguer is therefore inclined to accept it as the product of the mint in Rome. If this is true, it does explain the difference in die wear between the obverse and the much fresher reverse. Clearly the striking of the coin cannot have been intentional, however: it must have been an error by a mint worker, who used an old obverse die that somehow escaped destruction.