On the obverse of the coin is a bust of Antoninus Pius looking to his left while wearing a laurel. In classical times, the laurel was a symbol of victory, stemming from the myth of Apollo and Daphne. Daphne was a water nymph whom Apollo, the god of prophecy, music and medicine, loved. While Apollo was chasing Daphne through the woods, she asked her father to change her into a tree to protect her. Daphne was made into the first laurel tree and Apollo, still in love with her, bestowed on her the honor of crowning the heads of victors. Accordingly, the laurel was a popular motif on many Roman coins and is often worn on the heads of emperors, victorious generals and winning athletes, symbolizing imperial power or victory. The text on this side of the coin spells out, “ANTONINVS AVG PIVS PP” and means “Antoninus Augustus Pius, Father of the Country.”

On the reverse of the coin is the Roman Goddess Concordia holding a scepter and a patera. Concordia is the goddess of harmony and on this coin she symbolizes unity within the empire. Concordia was a minor Roman deity and had a temple originally built for her in the Roman Forum in 367 BCE. Her temple was later repaired in 10 AD under the rule of Augustus. Concordia is a fitting symbol for the coin as it was minted during a time of peace and internal unity in the Roman Empire. In this deity’s left hand, she holds a sceptre, a common image paired with her to further reinforce imperial power. In her right hand, Concordia holds a patera, a shallow bowl used for pouring libations (offerings) to the gods. A patera is a symbol of religious piety. The text on this side of the coin spells out “COS IIII” and means “Consul four times.”

The most interesting part about this coin, aside from the images, is that it is a limes denarius, as opposed to a regular denarius. Limes were border forts on the edge of the Roman Empire and accordingly, the coins minted in these areas took up the name limes. This coin is most likely made up of a near-worthless base metal and only plated in silver. This choice of metal might have been done for two reasons: one, in the case that a border fort (and the soldier’s wages) fell to an enemy force, then only a small amount of silver would actually be lost; or two, this coin is actually just a well-made counterfeit from the edges of the empire.