Claudius. A.D. 41-54. AR fourrée denarius. 19 mm. British imitation of Rome Mint. A.D. 49-50. His laureate head right; TI CLAVD CAESAR AVG P M TR P VII IMP P P / S P Q R / P • P / OB C S in three lines within oak wreath. Cf. RIC I 49. North Suffolk (Coin Hoards from Roman Britain, Volume X) 77. In NGC encapsulation graded Choice AU Strike 4/5, Surface 3/5; nicely toned; surface almost entirely intact; reverse struck off center. Photographed through plastic. (The dark areas at 2' obverse and 10' reverse are simply shadows cast by the slab.) A choice and beautiful example of an ancient fourrée, and an important numismatic find from Roman Britain. Claudius is an important and extremely difficult emperor to represent in any form. Choice portrait. Very Rare.

Ex Davissons Auction 37 (21 February 2018) lot 46 ($1200).

This silver-plated denarius was probably struck at an unofficial mint in Britannia following the invasion of Claudius in A.D. 43, to fill the need of thousands of Roman soldiers for coinage. Though not officially sanctioned, the practice was probably tolerated. In 1996 a hoard of 110 plated denarii of this type was found in Waveny, Suffolk. Price histories: a similar piece with the same NGC slab grade but estimated at $4,000-UP was offered by Goldbergs on June 6, 2017 (Auction 98:2232) and in The New York Sale (XLII:440) on January 9, 2018, estimated at $2,500. A piece from the Wortham Hoard found in Suffolk in the 1990s was sold in the Harlan J. Berk, Ltd. BBS 193 (30 April 2015) for $5,500; and another from the Waveny Hoard was sold in CNG E-Auction 318 (15 January 2014) for $1400. Another similar piece was sold in Numismatica Ars Classica 72 (16 May 2013) for $1772.