England (Commonwealth Union) – Coins have historically had a significant role in marking power and storing wealth. Coins were often produced in gold, silver and bronze and described by many financial experts as a far more stable financial system. Kings and influential figures would historically mark their reign or communicate messages of their heirs to the throne with coins.
A gold coin previously considered a forgery may be authentic and representing a long-lost Roman emperor named Sponsian, according to a University College London (UCL) study. The coin, which is kept at The Hunterian collection at the University of Glasgow, was among a few coins of the same design unearthed in Transylvania (presently Romania), in 1713. The coins were classified as fakes since the mid-19th-century, as a result of their crude, strange design characteristics and mixed-up inscriptions.
The team contrasted the Sponsian coin with other Roman coins kept at The Hunterian, including two that are genuine.
Minerals were seen on the coin’s surface a feature of it being buried in soil for a long time, and then air exposed. The minerals were fixed in place by silica usually taking place naturally over lengthy periods in soil. A pattern of wear and tear indicating the coin had been in active used was also noticed.
“Scientific analysis of these ultra-rare coins rescues the emperor Sponsian from obscurity. Our evidence suggests he ruled Roman Dacia, an isolated gold mining outpost, at a time when the empire was beset by civil wars and the borderlands were overrun by plundering invaders,” explained lead author Professor Paul N. Pearson of UCL Earth Sciences.
Just four coins featuring Sponsian are believed to have lasted to the present day, all seemingly originally from the 1713 hoard. Another stored in Brukenthal National Museum in Sibiu, Romania. High magnification microscopic evaluation there, after the research on the coin at The Hunterian, indicated similar components of authenticity.
