Roman silver and Spanish treasure with a British twist found in America.

By Clive Knipe.

 


 


On the 5th of July 2013 I received an email from a client in the USA regarding a Roman coin that he had found that day. There have been many cases of ancient coins and artefacts being discovered in the Americas and, along with the time that Leif Eriksson spent in North America long before Columbus and his visit, it is understandable that Viking coins have been found on the East Coast. But Roman coins? Was America really settled by Romans? The remains of a Roman ship in Texas and Roman pottery in Mexico does seem to lend some credibility to at least prolonged contact between America and Europe long before any Norseman. 


 




The antoninianus of Gallus.


This latest coin found in Carolina is an antoninianus of Trebonianus Gallus. The obverse features the bust of Gallus radiate and draped with the legend IMP CAE C VIB TREB GALLVS AVG. The reverse features a veiled Pietas facing left with both hands raised and the legend PIETAS AVGG. It is approximately 21mm in diameter and weighs 3.44 grams. The silver coin dates from 251 to 253 A.D., a similarly-dated gallienus was found in a North Carolina stream in 1967. Whilst the discovery of two silver Roman coins dated ten years apart might suggest some form of trade or exploration at the same time it is important to consider the context that this particular 2013 example provides. Little more is known with regards to exact contexts from the past five hundred years of ancient coin finds in the Americas with most listed as found when digging foundations or finds on agricultural land. The joy is that this most recent example was found on the same land as a variety of other artefacts, the same artefacts that may shed some light on the reason for deposition within the ground.


 





Colonial Spanish coins have been found surrounding the proximity of the Roman coin with a half real, a 1 real, a 2 reales and an 8 reales recently discovered. The Spanish coins date from the latter half of the 18th century and might represent a purse of bullion, as the USA was an independent nation in 1776, long after any significant Spanish influence. But as most of these Spanish coins were minted in South America it is of course understandable for their presence in North America and the fact that many such Spanish coins were in use until the 19th century. The last find, and perhaps the most interesting, is a heraldic badge.


 





The badge was found close to the coins and bears the crest of the Hammerton family. The Hammerton family were prominent in the colonial government circa 1720-40 and there are those with the surname Hammerton recorded as having landed in America from England in the early part of the 18th century. Could this badge hold the key to finding out how the Roman and Spanish silver were discovered in the same field? It is somewhat plausible to consider that these items are remains of a Revolutionary War booty and that the Roman coin was actually brought over from Europe as a memento or keepsake in the 18th century with the Spanish coins merely serving as silver bullion.


 



Credit to Hal McGirt for the images and permission to report these finds. 

Credit also to Pre-Columbian Old World Coins in America: An Examination of the Evidence by Jeremiah Epstein.