is this a old coin ?

[gp]

this was found in spotsylvania virginia looks like a man with beard on front cant make much out on back thanks for any help

 

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[UK_Treasure_Hunter]

You found a roman coin in Virginia? That's weird

 

[UK_Treasure_Hunter]

If it is genuine, a whole lot of historians are in for a headache.

 

[gp]

it is super thin, the more i look at the back it seems one sided ,could the back have wore off from being in the ground

 

[PBK]

it is super thin, the more i look at the back it seems one sided ,could the back have wore off from being in the ground

Wear on a genuine coin should be more or less equal on both sides. It may be a uniface replica produced for use in jewelry.

 

[gp]

it is super thin, the more i look at the back it seems one sided ,could the back have wore off from being in the ground

Wear on a genuine coin should be more or less equal on both sides. It may be a uniface replica produced for use in jewelry.

that explains why it was found in virginia thanks for the help look like another trash find

 

[bomber]

cool find anyway.have it checked out,u never know

 

[Michelle]

You found a roman coin in Virginia? That's weird

And in Spotsylvania...........WOW.......Im goin' there......would it be near a new subdivision?hehe I know...dont tell!

 

[Gunner]

Definitely Caracalla. Looks like either an Aes or Sestertius. What is the diameter? 27mm? over 30mm? Also, the coin looks authentic by style and wear to me.

The imperial bronzes of Caracalla are quite scarce. Can you post a picture of the reverse? I can get you a full attribution and approximate valuation if so.

Gunner

 

[PBK]

Definitely Caracalla.

You're right, Gunner! Thanks for the correction.

Best regards,
PBK

 

[Gunner]

Thanks guys..... gp..that coin is DEFINITELY not a "trash find". There are several ways that it could have wound up where you found it; however, I find it highly unlikely that the Romans themselves brought it here. A better guess would be an explorer from as early as the conquistadors on up to an unlucky modern day collector with a hole in his/her pocket. Please post a picture of the reverse of that coin. I guarantee you it is worth more than you thought. My initial thought is that it is an Aes. A weight in grams would help too. To compare ancients to modern...I'd consider the Aes the size equivalent of our U.S. "50 Cent" piece with the Sestertius being the "silver Dollar". Nice find! I believe this coin was struck somewhere around 217 AD (Just before his murder) in Rome. The coin picture I am attaching was estimated to sell at 500 Euro. It did not sell. I suspect it would easily fetch $300.00 US if offerred for that.


Gunner

 

[Heavy Chevy]

Hey Gang,

The coin could possibly be real. Roman coins do pop up here in the States and have for 300 years. Same as Carthagian and Phoenician coins.
I do believe there was much Pre-Columbian contact with America from Europe and the Mediteranian area.

Just my 2 centavos,

Mike in SC

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

=Mike
The coin could possibly be real. Roman coins do pop up here in the States and have for 300 years. Same as Carthagian and Phoenician coins.
I do believe there was much Pre-Columbian contact with America from Europe and the Mediteranian area
*******
Agreed Mike

Tropical Tramp



Just my 2 centavos,

Mike in SC
[/quote]

 

[mxtswinger]

Earth calling gp. Hello?

Don't throw that thing away yet.

 

[Subgenius5150]

well VA is pretty high up there on the east coast and the vikings did come across and land way up in the northern part of north america... and didnt they frequently have dealings with the romans and there expansion across europe?.... sorry if it seems like im playing 6 degrees of kevin bacon...

 

[blurr]

I'm sure that information must be in the archives along with the Silent Sentinal, the KGC, Knights Templar, and the James Gang who must have been active in your area. They were everywhere

That's not very nice doc, this is "TreasureNet" remember?

John

 

[blurr]

That was a joke. Duh! See the smileys?

I hope I can pull your leg doc.

 

[Mighty AP]

Nice job on the ID gentlemen, between Gunner, Doc & PBK we got the makings of a world class university here.............TNU! I hope gp hasnt done anything with that coin!

 

[Oroblanco]

Greetings,
A VERY interesting find mi amigo! Yes it looks like a bronze coin of Caracalla. How did it get to where you found it is the real question.

There are good evidences of pre-Columbian contact with the Old World, but unfortunately Roman coins are not terribly convincing evidence due to the fact that they are terribly common. Caracalla is less common, but Roman coins can be purchased on Ebay for $1 each and even less in the uncleaned condition, especially late Roman bronzes which this is one example. Roman coin collectors even get these by the bucket-fuls from THers in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa and give them to school children as gifts, learning aids and keepsakes. It would be unusual to find a Caracalla in among the uncleaned lots, but not that un-heard of. That is why I ask where you found it - you don't have to be specific here, but if it turned up in a school yard, park where children play, or other area where children congregate and play, it is very likely that the coin was lost by a child in modern times. If on the other hand the coin was found in some area where no modern activity has taken place, no homes since the Europeans arrived, etc or was rather deeply buried, as in turned up by a bulldozer having scraped off several feet of topsoil and so forth, or more importantly close to a navigable river or port (not a man-made port mind you) then it is possible the coin was indeed lost in ancient times. As to whom may have transported it to America in ancient times, by the time of Caracalla (who was a Phoenician by birth) the best candidate Carthage had been destroyed; however it is very likely that one or more Roman ships or a Phoenician ship from the homeland of Caracalla may have accidentally made the crossing, thus stranding these Mediterranean folk in a very strange new land. So the actual site where it was found, and the depth, relationship of the site to nearby navigable rivers or sea ports, is a very important factor in determining whether the coin was dropped in modern times or in ancient times.

If you reported the coin found in an ancient Indian midden of clam shells, for instance, that presents a very strong case for ancient deposition - if found in a school playground, then it is far more likely to have been dropped there last Tuesday. I am very interested in your find, please keep me posted. 8) Cool find in any case, not your every day item!
your friend,
Roy A. Decker - Oroblanco

 

[Oroblanco]

PS note here...
subgenius wrote "well VA is pretty high up there on the east coast and the vikings did come across and land way up in the northern part of north america... and didnt they frequently have dealings with the romans and there expansion across europe?.... sorry if it seems like im playing 6 degrees of kevin bacon..."

I don't wish to sound petty here but there is no evidence of Vikings ever having any interaction with Romans, that is with the Roman empire - it collapsed nearly six centuries before the Vikings began sailing out of Scandinavia. They did interact with the Eastern Roman Empire, which we call the Byzantine empire, but the Byzantines had their own types of coins which are quite different from the earlier Roman coins. If this were a Byzantine coin, I would immediately suspect Vikings as the people who transported it here - however it is far older than the Viking heyday, so the circumstances of the find are extremely important in determining whether it was lost in ancient times (in which case we have to look at those people who were the best seafarers in Caracalla's day as the likely agents of transport) or if it was lost by a school child a week ago. These late Roman bronze coins are, as I mentioned above, very easy to purchase in large numbers on Ebay for very little cash in the uncleaned condition - and some Caracalla bronzes do turn up in these batches of uncleaned coins. Anyway interesting bit of logic, in coming up with a theory as to how it got to Spotsylvania via Norse. Possible yes, but unlikely.
Roy - Oroblanco