Roman Empire. Nero. A.D. 54-68. AR Denarius. 3.056 grams. Rome c. 64-65. Obverse: NERO CAESAR AVGVSTVS. His laureate head facing right. Reverse: Roma, helmeted and draped, seated facing left on cuirass, right hand holding Victory, left parazonium by side. RIC 153, 55. BMC 83.

A distinctively Roman coin was the denarius, a silver coin nearly equivalent to the Greek drachm. We learn in Matthew 20 that it was a typical daily wage for a laborer, but the owner of the vineyard in this parable chose to be more generous. The denarius was also a day's pay for a Roman soldier and the coin required for the Roman tax. The Good Samaritan gave the innkeeper two of them to care for the robbery victim.

The denarius is the origin of the symbol, d, for the old British penny, to which it deteriorated as a result of inflation. On today's ancient coin market an ordinary denarius still costs about a day's pay.

Nero, (64 A.D.) was the first to tamper with coinage. Deceiving the populous into thinking the now lighter coins were the

same as earlier ones, Nero gained a temporary 15% profit. By 268 A.D., the amount of silver had been reduced to 5%. Naturally, as with today's inflation, "wheat that had sold for one-half a denarius...increased to 100 denarii."

This particular coin is sold, but it is a fine example of other ancient coins we have in stock. If there is a particular coin you are looking for, call us, or send us an email.

Alexander the Great silver drachm here.

Newsletter 34 Fruit of the Loon

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