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Obviously, the purpose of this site is to present and discuss imitations of Roman Republican denarii. There is reason to believe that for the most part the Dacians continued to produce imitations of Republican denarii after the establishment of the Empire, but occasionally, they did imitate Imperial types as well. The coins on this page are examples of that later coinage tradition, which often combine an Imperial portrait with a Republican reverse. I1-I5 are part of a single Romanian hoard, which apparently terminated early in the reign of Trajan, prior to the Dacian Wars.

I2. Obverse type of Germanicus, reverse type of Augustus, after 37 AD; Girard R63 (obverse die), cf. RIC-126 (R), 3.71g. Obverse certainly transferred from official coin, the reverse possibly so as well, although some slightly crude aspects of it make me suspect it's a new die, which copies very closely the original.

I3. Obverse type of Germanicus, reverse type of M. Plaetorius Cestianus, after 37 AD; Girard R63 (obverse die), cf. Cr-405 (R), 3.86g. Same obverse die as I2; the comments there regarding the reverse apply here as well. Note especially the slight convergence of the left and right reverse legend towards the bottom; I've noticed no official Republican dies that share that feature.

I4. Types of Titus, after 74 AD, 3.32g. Both sides quite stylized, with blundered, barely recognizable legends. The reverse figure seems to be Pax; I haven't been able to match it with a plausible prototype, but I haven't tried very hard.

I5. Obverse type of Domitian, reverse type of Vespasian, after 76 AD, 3.40g. Barbarous portrait of Domitian; slightly stylized reverse., with slightly blundered legend. The obverse legend is badly blundered and barely recognizable, but does clearly contain elements of Domitian's name. Otherwise, it would be simpler to ascribe the prototype of both sides to a single coin of Vespasian.

Not Republican, and probably minted nearer to the Ganges than the Danube, but I couldn't resist. This piece was the only apparent imitation in a group of Tiberius Tribute Pennies found in India; presumably, it was produced locally. Indian imitations of Roman aurei are fairly well known; imitations of denarii are much less frequently encountered. At first glance, the present coin seems to combine a portrait of Tiberius with the Gaius and Lucius reverse of Augustus. These are precisely the types of all denarius imitations which were without doubt found in India, although I've seen occasional speculation regarding imitations of other Augustus types that may have originated there. However, according to Roman Coins from India by Paula J. Turner, the best study of the subject, Indian denarius imitations are invariably encountered with obverse and reverse types correctly paired. If the present coin is indeed a hybrid, it may be a new discovery. Certainly, the portrait looks like Tiberius. It's been suggested though that the hopelessly garbled obverse legend more nearly resembles that of Augustus and that the resemblance of the portrait to Tiberius is fortuitous.

I6. Obverse type of Trajan, reverse type of Domitian; presumably struck before Trajan's 1st Dacian War in 101 AD; 2.65g. Both sides barbarous, with blundered, meaningless legends. The style and fabric of this coin are unmistakably Dacian; if the suggested prototypes are correct, the piece is quite evocative, combining types of the two emperors to war with Decabalus.