Hiker Uncovers Spectacular Gold Coin

May 17, 2016

Laurie Rimon, from Kfar Blum in the Upper Galilee, was hiking near an archaeological site when she spotted a shiny object in the grass. She picked it up and realized she was holding an ancient gold coin.

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) determined that the coin was a very rare example of a 2,000-year-old gold coin honoring the memory of Emperor Augustus, founder of the Roman Empire. Augustus ruled from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. The coin had been minted in AD 107 by Emperor Trajan to honor Augustus and is part of a series minted by Trajan to honor the memory of past Roman emperors.

Head curator of the coin department at IAA, Dr. Donald T. Ariel noted, “Whilst the bronze and silver coins of Emperor Trajan are common in the country, his gold coins are extremely rare. So far, only two other gold coins of this emperor have been registered in the State Treasures…and the details on both of them are different to those that appear on the rare coin that Laurie found.” Only the British Museum in London has a similar coin to this one, until now thought to be the only one of its kind in the world.

Source: Excerpts of article by Edgar Asher, Ashernet

Photo Credit: Shai Halevy and Samuel Magal/IAA