I visited my local coin shop and picked up a new coin. I've always been fascinated with old coins, the older the better. This coin really hit the spot! Minted sometime between AD 268 - AD 270, this is an extremely old coin. This stamped hunk of metal has been around for over a THOUSAND years!
It's in remarkable condition given it's age. Goes to show, a well minted coin will last a very long time.
The obverse pictures the Roman Emperor Claudius II. This is how we know it's age, since there's no date minted on the coin. It's a "antoninianus" coin or also known as the "double-denarius".
This coin is the ORIGINAL debased coin, as they were originally minted in high purity silver, but because of Roman corruption, they were replaced with this copper coin with a SILVER coating. Just like the modern copper "clad" coins, these fake silver coins were accepted by the Roman populous.
The fake silver outer coating has long worn off, but the copper imprint still remains. I found an image of the same coin with the original silver outer coating. It doesn't have silver's signature shine, so it looks sort of like fake silver.
Seeing all the detail in the beard and crown shows just how degraded this coin is - but given it's age, it's not surprising. What's surprising is that any detail is left!
What a cool find at the coin store! And it didn't break the bank to purchase this excellent piece of history.
Benjamin Turner: God fearer. Rooted in Messiah. Husband of @lturner. Father of SEVEN wonderful children. The guy behind the camera. Blockchain enthusiast.
Bless the Most High!
