Obverse: IMP NERVA CAES AVG PM TR P COS III
PP; Portrait of the Emperor Crowned in a Laurel
Wreath
Reverse: IVSTITIA AVGVST; Justitia Seated to the
Right, Holding a Branch and a Sceptre
Marcus Cocceius Nerva was born about 30 A.D.
into an important senatorial family. The future
emperor was a distinguished lawyer who held
major political posts under Nero and the
Flavians. His part in the successful assassination
plot against the emperor Domitian in 96 A.D. is
uncertain, but he was elevated to the imperial
throne on the very same day. Though strongly
supported by the senate, Nerva was forced to
deal with the army and the Praetorian Guard,
both angry over the death of Domitian. Two of
his political allies were killed by the Praetorians
for their part in the plot while Nerva was forced
to stand by helplessly. Childless, Nerva chose as
his successor the greatest military leader of the
day, Trajan. This proved to be an excellent
decision and set the precedent for the eighty
years of good rule that followed; each of the next
four emperors, without living heirs, chose the
most worthy man to succeed him. Nerva died in
January 98 A.D., after a very short reign that had
set the Roman Empire back on the path to good
government.
How many hands have touched a coin in your
pocket or purse? What eras and lands have the
coin traversed on its journey into our
possession? As we reach into our pockets to pull
out some change, we rarely hesitate to think of
who might have touched the coin before us, or
where the coin will venture to after it leaves our
hands. More than money, coins are a symbol of
the state that struck them, of a specific time and
location, whether contemporary currencies or
artifacts of a long forgotten empire. This
stunning hand-struck coin reveals an expertise
of craftsmanship and intricate sculptural detail
that is often lacking in contemporary machine-
made currencies. Although Nerva ruled for only
two years, the impact of his reign would help
establish a golden period of prudent
government. Today, this coin is an ancient
memorial to an overlooked leader passed from
the hands of civilization to civilization, from
generation to generation.
- (C.4581)
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