Coins and Historical Medals

Roman Imperial Coinage, Carausius, Denarius, London (?), c. 286, imp [car]avsivs p f avg, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right, rev. virt[vs] avg, lion left with thunderbolt in mouth, rsr in exergue, 2.30g/12h (cf. RIC 591; Shiel –; RSC –; Sear –). Edge chip between 9 and 12 o’clock, otherwise of sound metal, better than very fine with the bust fully intact, attractive find patina
£1,000-£1,500

Provenance: Found at Alton Pancras (Dorset), 2019 (PAS FASAM-45F1EE).

The entry for this coin on the Portable Antiquities Scheme website states that this a new variety of the existing type due to the supposed absence of a thunderbolt in the lion’s jaws. This is inaccurate; the thunderbolt is clearly visible