ROMAN COIN

43

Copper alloy coin, probably an irregular as of Claudius.Many copies of Claudian period asses were struck in Britain in the decades following the invasion of AD 43. This was because there was a serious shortage of small change for the up to 50,000 or so Roman soldiers in the Province to use. It is now reckoned that many of these coins were in fact semi-official, being struck at legionary bases such as Colchester. The “Minerva” As was the most common type copied.The coin has been piercd at 10 o'clock on the obverse, avoiding the emperors portrait.