Rare Coin Find Stuns Historians

Ananova ^ | 2-25-2004

[blam]

Rare coin find stuns historians

A man with a metal detector has unearthed a Roman bronze coin so rare it bears the face of a mystery emperor who "ruled" Britain for a matter of days.

Brian Malin, from Oxfordshire, found it in a field in the county.

It bears the face of Emperor Domitianus and is only the second coin ever found which bears the image of the self-proclaimed ruler of Britain and France in 271AD.

A similar coin was found in France 100 years ago but until now its uniqueness had meant both Emperor Domitianus and the coin were dismissed as a hoax.

Historians say the British discovery confirms the French find is genuine and Domitianus existed.

They believe he was an upstart from the Roman legion who was ousted for treason for daring to declare himself emperor and have the coins made.

Mr Malin found the coin in a field 10 miles south-east of Oxford.

The coin was among a pot of 5,000 all bearing the heads of emperors and stuck together, providing the perfect "timeline" for archaeologists.

He handed his find to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford which passed it to experts at the British Museum who began separating the coins.

The coins dating from 250AD to the mid 270sAD spanned five emperors during a time of great upheaval for the Roman empire.

The Domitianus coin is going on display at the British Museum.

Story filed: 18:13 Tuesday 24th February 2004

[Carolinamom]

Thanks for providing that interesting link to regulations regarding treasure troves.

[LibWhacker]

He handed his find to the Ashmolean Museum

Man, sounds like he won't get a dime for it.

[Rockpile]

I wonder what the crown was made out of?

Whoever made the die for the coin strike was really a good craftsman; look how sharp the details of the bust are. Did thay have good quality steel by the 3rd century?

[u-89]

Years ago I would have simply found this story interesting but for the last couple of years I have been found myself seriously involved in ancient Greek and Roman coins. Now a story like this is meaningful to me. A vast amount of information about the period derives from the imagery and the inscriptions. Studying numismatics gives an appreciation for the significance of myths, legends and state propaganda that would be hard to acquire otherwise. Too bad the reverse of this coin is not shown.

[Petronski]

What's it worth? I think I could make a few with my Dremel.

[TaMoDee]

You have hit this right on the nose! When I saw the profile the first thing I saw was Bob Hope, GRHS.

[Ronaldus Magnus Reagan]

This was actually the result of a popular game show in Roman times called "Emperor For a Day."

No, that show was known to have flopped and was replaced by the wildly popular "Who wants to be an Emperor?". Winner won a million coins with their face on the coins and was decreed legal tender.

[ConservativeConvert]

cool post

[SamAdams76]

It was actually a subway token. Apparently the Romans built a huge tunnel under the English channel that archaelogists have yet to discover. But when they do, they will find that it puts the Chunnel to shame.

[blam]

"E-bay time!!!!"

"Bet it's worth something!"

It has other athletes signatures on it too, Pete Rose, Bubba #00 and others that I don't recognize. They're on a restaurant receipt that my ex-wife got when she was catering a charitable event when we lived in Houston, 25-30 years ago. What's it worth?

[Moonman62]

Nah, the Brits actually have a pretty good law that rewards finders of 'Treasure Troves.'

According to your article the coins must be gold or silver. This guy is screwed. I can only imagine how much that coin must be worth.

[cyborg]

Hopefully someone in the know will FReepmail you. Of course now that you've put the question out there, I'm compelled to find out!

[ErnBatavia]

Time for a scan-and-post! (But as you know, Pete Rose and Orenthal have done tons of autographing, so the value may be diluted).

Stay dry down there....6 inches in a day? Unheard of here.

[Just mythoughts]

I sure love it when "historians" get stunned.

[JackTom]

Here is some info about Domitianus that I found on the net:

"Domitianus was proclaimed emperor at the beginning of Aurelian's reign, but killed soon afterwards. His rebellion seems to have been the result of the barbaric invasions at the beginning of Aurelian's reign. He perhaps is to be identified with the general Domitianus who is said to have defeated the Macriani about A.D. 261. The only coin minted in the name of Domitianus is probably a forgery."

It looks like historians questioned the genuineness of the coin found in France, but not necessarily the existence of Domitianus himself, as the article implies.

[u-89]

Found this pic through yahoo.

[blam]

"Stay dry down there....6 inches in a day? Unheard of here."

Yup, been raining/drizzling for two days now...It's Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras Day here, everyone took the day off to go carnival. Same forecast for tomorrow.

[cyborg]

thanks...very fascinating clues into history. So much to learn!

[Joee]

I own several gold and silver coins going back to early AD and BC. I have no idea of their current worth, but would like to find out. How does one go about it?????