LOT 0130

Roman Severus Alexander Denarius Forger's Coin Die Pair and Crucible

CIRCA 222-235 A.D.

1 3/4 - 2 1/4 in. (86.86 grams total, 44-58 mm).

A contemporary pair of clay coin dies used to manufacture coin forgeries, the working faces depicting a gold aureus or silver denarius of Emperor Severus Alexander, with incuse and reversed legends; each counterfeit die with inscribed numbering to verso [(((( LXIIII = 64]; accompanied by a clay crucible excavated at the same time with inked inscription to the underside: 'Arch.-Nr. / 6612-1975', another object that would have been required in the casting process of manufacturing of fake coins. [3]

In a private collection of Roman objects since 1975.

Accompanied by a copy of a letter and schedule addressed to the Director of the Library Faculty of Kamp-Linfurt, a branch of Stadsparkasse Duisburg regarding the loan of the forger's die and crucible for exhibition, dated 13 December 1993.

Exhibited in 'Monetary History of 2600 Years, Monetary Values Yesterday and Today', Library Faculty of Kamp-Linfurt, Stadsparkasse Duisburg, January 1994.

Cf. Poey d’Avant F., ‘Roman Coin Moulds’, in The Numismatic Chronicle (1838-1842), June, 1838 – April, 1839, Vol. 1 (June, 1838–April, 1839), pp.147-165, fig.1, p.165, for similar; Hall, J., Goodburn Brown, D., ‘Faking it – the evidence for counterfeiting coins in Roman London’ in The London Archaelogist, summer 2015, pp.123-127, fig.3-4-5.

Towards the end of the 2nd century and the early 3rd century A.D. the quality of Roman coinage began to be altered. Probably from the beginning of the reign of Severus Alexander, forgers were tacitly allowed by the Roman government to issue counterfeit coins. There are many ancient coins of this emperor that appear to have been cast in moulds. Most of these moulds would have been employed by forgers, and the dies were normally destroyed quickly after use in an effort to dispose of the evidence.