398, On the Ancient Roman Coins. [Sept. 



This coin does not agree with any engraved in Bandurius or in Vaillant : it is 

 however described by the former vol. ii. 529, with the difference of £ in lieu of 

 ©, marking it of the second instead of the ninth year of his reign. The significa- 

 tion of the five X's does not appear to be understood, nor to whom nova spes 

 refers unless it was struck by the emperor Theodosius, on consecrating his son 

 as Augustus. Bandurius entitles his similar coin rarissimus. 



Fig. 2. 1DN ARCADIVSPFAVG. Head of a youthful prince 



A. d. 389. 5 looking to the left, with chaplet and toga. 

 Reverse. CONCORDIA AVGGG s (an. 8.) 



Type. Helmeted female sitting on the prow of a ship, with spear 

 in the right hand and a shield in the left, inscribed v o t 



V MVLX 

 Weight 65 grs. Solidus. — 



This coin is depicted in Bandurius, page 527, an. H. It is, as" all those with 

 mention of votes, esteemed a very rare coin. It was given to me by Mr. Wal- 

 ter Ewer. 



Silver Coins. 

 Fig. 3. 7 ROMA K on the exergue, or below the image of a 



B. c. 200. 3 head armed with a winged helmet ; either of Pallas or 



of Dea Roma. 

 Reverse. On the exergue SGERII, an equestrian figure on the 

 right, and traces of a pedestrian on the left. There is a 

 hole through the coin ; it is in the possession of Col. 

 Wilson. 

 The X probably denotes that this coin is the ancient denarius, which bore the 

 impress X, (meaning 10 ases.) Pinkerton supposes that the value of the denarius 

 was changed to 16 ases about 175 years before Christ; if so, this coin must be 

 of very ancient fabrication, and it may be the more valuable, because none of 

 precisely similar appearance is to be met with in the books to which reference has 

 been made. 



In the earliest times of the Roman coinage, the silver denarius, quinarius, and 

 sestertius, all bore alike on the obverse the winged head of Pallas with the simple 

 word ROMA, and the marks of value X, V, or HS respectively : and on the reverse, 

 the mounted Dioscuri, or Castor and Pollux. Perhaps the present indistinct device 

 may be of this nature, although from the epigraph it seems rather to point to 

 some victory over the Germans. Perhaps the latter, which was indistinct, may 

 have been SPQR. I am not able now to refer to the coin to decide this point. 



Fig. 4. ICiESAR AVGVSTVS ATRI.E. The first part 



b. c. 1. 5 0^ tn » s inscription, is barely visible, and a part of the 



coin is cut off. Well defined head of the emperor. 

 Reverse. ....l CyESARES. The rest illegible. 

 Type. Two figures standing and supporting two shields 3 the one 

 partly covering the other. 



