So I decided to take the plunge and bought a bunch of the "uncleaned" ancient coins that are always being sold on ebay and such. One of them was so caked in filth I figured it would never clean up, but after a month in the distilled water, another month in olive oil, and an exasperating amount of time scrubbing with a tooth brush... something has emerged. The detail on the front is exquisitely preserved, but for the life of me I can't figure out who the emperor is because the letters are too small for my bad eyesight. The closest I got is maybe Carausius?
Welcome. Nice obverse. Radiate, draped, cuirassed. Looks like the legend might start with GAL VAL and end with NVS NOB CAES.
The shadow of your fingers is blocking the legend at left. Does it seem to read MAXIMIANVS there? I'm assuming it's Galerius, but we'll have to wait for the Roman experts.
Outstanding. I appreciate the help y'all. For some reason the first bit looked like CHL to me, so I couldn't get anything to show up in the online searches
Honestly, the concept of a Roman emperor with a concealed handgun license is both the most terrifying and hilarious mental image I've had in days. I can only imagine the insane shenanigans that would follow Caligula with a Glock
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