Trajan “via Traiana” — Certificate Of Authenticity

A silver denarius of Trajan, struck at Rome around AD 112–113, particularly sought after by collectors for its “historical” reverse explicitly legend VIA TRAIANA, where the imperial road is personified as a female figure nude to the waist, reclining left upon a rocky outcrop, holding an eight-spoked wheel set on the knee and a branch; a composition whose typological concordance is firmly established in the corpora as RIC II 266 / Woytek 398b / Strack 179α / RSC 648 / BMCRE 487–491, and regularly cited in specialized market archives.

Careful observation under ×10 magnification and raking light: direct examination of the coin shows on the obverse a laureate portrait right in a firm Roman style, with slight drapery on the shoulder, and a peripheral legend of generally comfortable readability; on the reverse, the formula S • P • Q • R • OPTIMO PRINCIPI frames a perfectly identifiable scene, the Via Traiana figure being recognized by the reclining posture, the wheel placed on the knee, and the branch, with the legend VIA TRAIANA clearly placed in the exergue, grounding a secure identification through the observable markers of the type.

Authority / period: Trajan (AD 98–117).

Mint: Rome.

Denomination / metal: Denarius, silver (AR).

Diameter / weight: 19 mm; 2.96 g (as stated).

Obverse (type and legend): IMP TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS VI P P, laureate bust right, slight drapery (a bust detail classically noted for this type).

Reverse (type and legend): S • P • Q • R • OPTIMO PRINCIPI, VIA TRAIANA in the exergue; reclining personification, head turned right, eight-spoked wheel on knee, branch in hand, left arm resting on rocks.

References: RIC II 266; Woytek 398b; Strack 179α; RSC 648; BMCRE 487–491; BN 671 var. (bust type).

This type belongs to the issues in which Trajan uses coinage as a vehicle of public memory, celebrating the Via Traiana, a road built under his reign as a more direct route between Beneventum and Brundisium, an extension and “optimization” of southern Italy’s road system; an infrastructure theme here given a refined iconographic form, since the road itself is presented as a protective and fruitful entity, pairing the wheel (mobility, circulation) with the branch (prosperity, pacification).

For the collector, this denarius offers exceptional “density”: on the one hand, Trajan’s full titulature at a moment of political accomplishment (COS VI), and on the other a “speaking,” immediately narrative reverse documenting imperial action in the concrete domain of roads and exchanges—hence why this type is regularly presented in specialized catalogues as a desirable and historically resonant reverse within the SPQR OPTIMO PRINCIPI series.

The provenance is European, from an established numismatic dealer, and the acquisition was made through a specialized international transaction conducted within a recognized numismatic network and validated to the highest standards of the art and heritage market; the attribution is based on concordance of the legends and figurative arrangement with RIC II 266 / Woytek 398b and published sale comparanda, allowing the description to rest on a strictly verifiable basis.
Each specimen is examined, described, and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity consistent with the standards of the art and heritage market, this notice being deliberately limited to observable elements and consultable reference works, so that the collector’s confidence rests on a controllable numismatic truth.