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Roman Imperitorial Coinage
2004
Trajan, AD 98-117. AE Sestertius (22.9g), minted at
Roma, AD 103-111
. Laureate bust right of Trajan with drap-
ery on left shoulder.
Reverse:
Dacia seated left in attitude of
mourning; before her, trophy. RIC 565; C-535. Pleasing
medium-green patina. A handsome and compelling example
and a scarce reverse type.
Choice Very Fine
.
Estimated Value ................................................... $500 - 600
2005
Trajan. Æ Sestertius (25.45 g), AD 98-117
. Rome, AD
116/7. IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GER DAC
PARTHICO P M TR P COS VI P P, laureate and draped bust of
Trajan right.
Reverse:
ARMENIA ET MESOPOTAM[IA IN PO]TES-
TATEM P R REDACTAE, S C across field, emperor, in military
attire, standing right, holding reversed spear and parazonium;
at feet to left, Mesopotamia seated right; at feet to right, the
river-gods Tigris and Euphrates seated left. RIC 642; Woytek
590v.
Rare Armenia-related reverse.
Some tooling in the
fields. Glossy dark reddish-brown patina.
Sharpness of
Extremely Fine
.
The client kingdom of Armenia served as a strategic buffer state
between Rome' s wealthy eastern provinces and the vast king-
dom of the Parthians to the east. Every couple of generations
throughout Roman history, the Parthians either invaded Arme-
nia or installed a client king of their own choosing on its throne,
which always prompted a strong response from Rome. In AD
114 during the latter part of Trajan' s reign, the Parthians
installed their own client king in Armenia. This upset the bal-
ance of power that had existed since the conquests of the
Roman general Corbulo during Nero' s reign. With the region
thus destabilized, Trajan intervened militarily, restoring the
kingdom as a Roman client state the following year. He then
continued on into Parthian territory, even capturing and sacking
the Parthian capital of Ctesiphon in 116. The reverse of this coin
commemorates these conquests, and shows the emperor in mil-
itary pose standing amongst the defeated figures of Mesopota-
mia and the Euphrates and Tigris rivers.
Estimated Value .......................................................$500-UP
2006
Trajan, AD 98-117. AE Sestertius (26.46g)
. Mint of Rome,
AD 98/99. Laureate bust of Trajan right, wearing aegis.
Reverse:
Pax seated left, holding branch and scepter. Cf. RIC II
390; Cf. BMC 718; Cohen -. Glossy reddish-brown and green
patina. Fields lightly smoothed. A handsome coin.
Sharpness
of Choice Very Fine
.
Estimated Value ................................................... $350 - 450
2007
Trajan, AD 98-117. AE Sestertius (19.31g)
. Laureate and
draped bust of Trajan facing right.
Reverse:
REX PARTHIS-
DATVS. Emperor seated left on platform, placing diadem on
head of Parthamaspates standing left on the ground before him
and presenting him to Parthia kneeling right. RIC 667; BMC
1046; Cohen 328.
An historically important type.
Hard apple
green patina, patina chipped on lower obverse edge, roughness
in reverse field.
Very Fine
.
Estimated Value ................................................... $300 - 400