VI.
A HOARD OF ROMAN COINS.
(See Plates XII—XIV.)
Sous little time ago a large hoard of Roman denarii
came into my hands, but I am not aware of the circum-
stances under which it was discovered, though I am led
to believe that it came from somewhere in the East of
England. There is every appearance of the coins having
all lain together, as the bulk of them were coated in a
similar manner with a thick layer of green substance,
probably some salt of copper. By heating the coins and
throwing them, while still hot, into cold water, this coat-
ing was removed; and many coins previously much ob-
scured were found to exhibit their devices and inscriptions
in a remarkably fine condition.
The range in time of the coins in the hoard is unusu-
ally extensive, the whole period from the days of Nero to
those of Severus Alexander being more or less fully repre-
sented. Not counting the coins on which a head appears
on both the obverse and the reverse, there are portraits
of no less than thirty-four Emperors, Empresses, and
Ceesars to be seen in the series. Roughly speaking, the
dates of the coins range from about a.D. 60 to certainly
so late as a.D. 230, or over a period of about one hundred
and seventy years; and, as might reasonably have been
expected, the earliest coins exhibit considerable signs ofA HOARD OF ROMAN COINS. 197
wonr, though their correct attribution is in all cases
possible.
Among the later coins there are numerous specimens
of the argenteus Antoninianus, first struck under Cara-
calla in av. 215. They are distinguished from the
ordinary denarii not only by their larger module, but
by the heads of the emperors upon them being radiated,
while those of the empresses are placed upon a crescent.
It is difficult to say what relation these larger pieces
bore in ‘the currency to the smaller ordinary denarii,
though not improbably they were double denarii, but in
compiling the list of the coins I have thought it best to
place the Antoniniant in a separate category.
The following summary shows the distribution of the
coins :—
Nero . . . . . . . 2
Gelba . . . . . ’ . 1
Vitellius me 4
Vespasian + . . . . 39
Titus . * . . . * 5
Domitian . 3 % 18.
Neva. 6 6 1s 6
ee re i
Hadrian. ew we AD
Sabina . . . . . . . 6
Asus 5 = 3 Ww FB 1
Antoninus Pius. . . . * 215
Antoninus and Aurelius . a ‘i 3 1
Faustina. . . . . . 70
Marcus Aurelius r . 114
Fausting Tl... ow 4 36
Lucius Verus . * . . 26
Lucilla . 3 a ‘ : ‘ 14
Commodus . 2 . . * . 247
Gispma ssn 8
Pertinax =. 6 ee 3
Didius Julianus . a . . . 1
Carried forward . . . + 1,061128 NUMISMATIC CHRONICLE.
Brought forward, =.» 1,081
Clodius Albinus oe 8
Septimius Severus. 6 ws OGL
Julia Domna, we aw TE
» 9 Antoniniont = 10
—187
JuliaandGeta =... we 1
Qaracllla =... ww 558
» Antoniniant . OE
610
iG ke 21
Geta. . . . . 2 . 199
Macrinus- . . 55
» Antoniniant 22
— si
Diadumenianus 2. wwe u
Elagabalus . «0. ss. 198
» Antoninianis 6. 0
—238
JuliaSomias =. 1 ewe 10
JuliaMaea. . ed
” s» Antoninianus ‘ a
— 12
SeverusAloxander. 9. ss 188
Julia Mamaea 8
Among so many coins it might well be expected that
there would be some remarkable for their rarity or in-
terest, or for presenting new features either in their types
or legends; but before calling attention to any such rari-
ties, it will be well to give a somewhat detailed list of the
hoard, with references to the second edition of Cohen’s
Meédailles Impériales.
Instead of merely referring to the Nos. in Cohen, I
have thought it well to give the legends on the reverses
in full, together with a succinct description of the types.
Where a coin seems to have been unknown to Cohen, the
obverse is described as well as the reverse.
The argentei Antoniniani of the time of Caracalla and