lordmarcovan
Hero Member
- Jan 3, 2006
- 553
- 29
- Detector(s) used
- Many models over the years, mostly Garretts
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
DIGGER'S DIARY: THE ARCADIUS ANOMALY
I found this in the spring of 2011. A few of the over 25,000(!) people who've read my "Mysterious Ming Medallion" story here on Treasurenet expressed an interest in hearing how I'd found another historical anomaly that's a thousand years older than the Ming Medallion. So I thought I'd post this as a sort of sequel to that. Of course it's not as significant. But it has that same, "Gee, how did THAT get there?" quality to it. This copy was written with the idea of submitting it to the local papers, maybe.
Did the ancient Romans ever make it to North America? That’s doubtful. However, some of their coins did, over the last two millennia. This is a 1,600 year old bronze coin of the eastern Roman emperor Arcadius, dating to the turn of the Fourth century AD, probably around the year 395. And yes- believe it or not, I found it right here in coastal Georgia! Technically this one wasn't found in the Golden Isles proper, but just a bit north of here, on a colonial site in Liberty County.
The crazy thing is, I didn't even have my metal detector with me that day, and found it almost by accident. The coin was lying right on the surface, where it had been washed out of a sand roadbed by recent rains. It did take a sharp eye to spot it against the grey sand. I thought it was a modern Lincoln cent at first, because I didn’t have my glasses on. But when I picked it up, I immediately knew it was too thick and too heavy to be a modern cent. In fact, since I’m a part-time world coin dealer and an avid collector of Roman coins, I knew right away what it was, though I was completely dumbfounded as to how it got there.
Though it lay on top of the ground, I do not believe it was recently lost by a collector. Not a modern collector, anyway. I think it was in the ground for at least 150 to 200 years, judging from the context of the site where I found it. Other artifacts were in that washout. I had picked up a gun flint from a flintlock musket and some old pieces of plantation-era pottery moments before. I have two pet theories. Either it was lost by an early collector (a famous 19th century antiquarian happened to have lived nearby), or it came over a bit before that- maybe on a boat from England during the colonial era, where such coins are commonly found. In the early days of the American colonies, small change was scarce, so people spent just about any kind of coin they could get their hands on. This might have circulated as a farthing (a quarter of a penny) in the 1700s, and nobody would have given it much thought at the time.
Sixteen centuries have taken their toll on this piece, but it still has some clear details. The obverse (or “heads” side) bears a portrait of the emperor. The reverse shows him standing with a globe in his left hand and something else, perhaps a military standard, on his right. The inscription GLORIA ROMANORVM (“Glory of the Romans”) is quite readable on the reverse.
So I’ll bet you think this coin is worth an emperor’s ransom, eh? Think again. It’s worth maybe ten or twelve bucks, tops. On a good day. I've bought better Roman bronzes for five bucks. Though certifiably ancient, these are very common coins … in Europe and the Middle East, where vast hoards are found. But here in Georgia, in an American archaeological context? Not so much. Here, it is a truly amazing (and anomalous) find. Was I disappointed that it’s not worth a fortune? Nope. I was thrilled and fascinated ... and a bit baffled, too. If only it could talk!
I found this in the spring of 2011. A few of the over 25,000(!) people who've read my "Mysterious Ming Medallion" story here on Treasurenet expressed an interest in hearing how I'd found another historical anomaly that's a thousand years older than the Ming Medallion. So I thought I'd post this as a sort of sequel to that. Of course it's not as significant. But it has that same, "Gee, how did THAT get there?" quality to it. This copy was written with the idea of submitting it to the local papers, maybe.
Did the ancient Romans ever make it to North America? That’s doubtful. However, some of their coins did, over the last two millennia. This is a 1,600 year old bronze coin of the eastern Roman emperor Arcadius, dating to the turn of the Fourth century AD, probably around the year 395. And yes- believe it or not, I found it right here in coastal Georgia! Technically this one wasn't found in the Golden Isles proper, but just a bit north of here, on a colonial site in Liberty County.
The crazy thing is, I didn't even have my metal detector with me that day, and found it almost by accident. The coin was lying right on the surface, where it had been washed out of a sand roadbed by recent rains. It did take a sharp eye to spot it against the grey sand. I thought it was a modern Lincoln cent at first, because I didn’t have my glasses on. But when I picked it up, I immediately knew it was too thick and too heavy to be a modern cent. In fact, since I’m a part-time world coin dealer and an avid collector of Roman coins, I knew right away what it was, though I was completely dumbfounded as to how it got there.
Though it lay on top of the ground, I do not believe it was recently lost by a collector. Not a modern collector, anyway. I think it was in the ground for at least 150 to 200 years, judging from the context of the site where I found it. Other artifacts were in that washout. I had picked up a gun flint from a flintlock musket and some old pieces of plantation-era pottery moments before. I have two pet theories. Either it was lost by an early collector (a famous 19th century antiquarian happened to have lived nearby), or it came over a bit before that- maybe on a boat from England during the colonial era, where such coins are commonly found. In the early days of the American colonies, small change was scarce, so people spent just about any kind of coin they could get their hands on. This might have circulated as a farthing (a quarter of a penny) in the 1700s, and nobody would have given it much thought at the time.
Sixteen centuries have taken their toll on this piece, but it still has some clear details. The obverse (or “heads” side) bears a portrait of the emperor. The reverse shows him standing with a globe in his left hand and something else, perhaps a military standard, on his right. The inscription GLORIA ROMANORVM (“Glory of the Romans”) is quite readable on the reverse.
So I’ll bet you think this coin is worth an emperor’s ransom, eh? Think again. It’s worth maybe ten or twelve bucks, tops. On a good day. I've bought better Roman bronzes for five bucks. Though certifiably ancient, these are very common coins … in Europe and the Middle East, where vast hoards are found. But here in Georgia, in an American archaeological context? Not so much. Here, it is a truly amazing (and anomalous) find. Was I disappointed that it’s not worth a fortune? Nope. I was thrilled and fascinated ... and a bit baffled, too. If only it could talk!
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