Here's the coin of the month...


Last month's Coin of the Month was unusual, so let's go back to an Emperor, albeit one who did not reign for long.

This is a denarius, one of the main denominations of the early Roman Empire.

It was minted in the name of Nerva (ruled 96-98), who because Emporer at age 66, on the assassination of Domitian. In his year-and-a-half or so rule, he was faced with a siege by the army, and had to agree to their demands. To gain more support he declared Trajan his heir and gave him the title Caesar. When he died Trajan was quickly elevated to Emperor. This peaceful succession made Nerva the first of the "Five Good Emperors."

The obverse shows the recognizable head of Nerva. As you look at more and more Roman Imperial coins, you will begin to recognize more of the rulers. This helps identify coins and also helps spot obvious forgeries. The inscription begins with NERVA, so this one is easy to identify.

The reverse is FORTVNA PR for the goddess. I'm not sure what the PR is an abbreviation for.