Owner Comments:
Derived from the French word for "stuffed", a fourrée is a coin with a base metal core plated with a thin coating of a precious metal. Many examples of ancient fourrées still exist, and the practice probably dates as far back as the invention of coinage itself. Regarding ancient Rome, fourrées may represent official issues produced in times of economic stress or otherwise intended for distribution in the Empire's fringes. It is also quite possible that many such ancient Roman fourrées were illegitimately produced as counterfeits. Despite the ambiguity, the current fourrée provides an interesting subject for contemplating the tragic history of Roman Emperor Gordian II (died 238 AD).
In March 238 AD, the elder Gordian (also known as Gordian I) was proclaimed emperor in Africa amidst widespread discontent against the oppressive policies of incumbent Emperor Maximinus. That discontent promulgated among Rome's senators, who were particularly displeased with the heavy tax burden imposed upon them by Maximinus. It is no wonder the senate eagerly approved Gordian I and his son Gordian II as Rome's new co-Augusti.
Even though Gordian I and Gordian II had the senate's backing, they lacked support within the neighboring provinces. Their fatal mistake was an inauspicious attempt to appoint a new governor over neighboring Numidia. The sitting governor, Capellianus, did not acquiesce. Instead, Capellianus mustered his legions and marched to Carthage. In response, Gordian II hastily cobbled together some counteroffensive forces. Alas, the later were disjointed and crudely armed, absolutely no match for Capellianus’ well-outfitted and disciplined troops. Gordian II perished in battle, and his father felt duty-bound to follow him in death by committing suicide.
Gordian II set an ignominious new record for the shortest imperial reign of only 22 days. Remarkably for such a short period, Rome’s mints produced high-quality aurei, denarii, and sestertii featuring Gordian II and his father. Among the official denarii produced in Gordian II's name, one in particular is identical with the design of the current coin: an obverse depicting the laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Gordian II, and a reverse depicting Virtus, the personification of valor. The inscriptions, "IMP M ANT GORDIANVS AFR AVG" and "VIRTVS AVGG," reinforce the adherence to official Roman designs. However, the fourrée nature of the coin, coupled with its uncertain origin, casts doubt on its official status.
The divergence of expert views regarding this coin further complicates its interpretation. One such opinion is that this coin is a so-called limes denarius. This term refers to base metal or low-silver content imitations of Roman silver denarii, primarily found in the northern and eastern border areas (the limes) of the Roman Empire, possibly used for paying soldiers and/or bolstering the local economy. Such coins are often characterized by lower quality and variations from standard minting practices. Conversely, the NGC's assessment of "possibly an ancient counterfeit" highlights the challenges of authenticating such coins and the careful and cautious approach of numismatic experts when evaluating them. Based on the current Owner's research, this coin was struck (rather than cast) on a planchet comprising copper alloyed with zinc and with some added tin, and afterwards the surface was covered with a thin layer of silver foil and heated to at least 779 C, thus forming a silver-colored, silver-copper eutectic (71.9% silver, with the remainder copper). Also in the current Owner's view, details of the Emperor's bust and reverse figure of Virtus, along with the style of lettering on both flans, suggest that this coin was produced contemporaneously with official issues. Furthermore, inspection of the — admittedly ugly — chemical deterioration pattern suggests moisture-induced deterioration of the plating layer as the core corroded beneath, consistent with an ancient origin. As yet another clue, electronic auction records suggest at least one other specimen of a limes denarius, reportedly produced at a military mint on the Danube border, that imitates the same official issue with the same Gordian II obverse and Virtus reverse designs as the current coin.
In any case, the economic instability and political turmoil during Gordian II's lifetime encouraged counterfeiting. In such uncertain times, the production of fourrées increased in order to capitalize on the demand for circulating currency. It also may have been safer to carry fourrées when outside Rome's borders, since such coins were presumably less targeted by thieves. Yet another hypothesis is that in such uncertain times it was advantageous to pay soldiers of the border forts in fourrées to avoid precious metals getting into raiders' hands. Today, the ongoing discovery of ancient fourrées is indicative of their production and/or distribution along the limes.
As new research comes to light, perhaps the pedigree of the current coin may one day be resolved. In the meantime, it is fair to say that history has been unkind to this Gordian II fourrée, an appropriate pathos given its tragic subject.
Additional reading: "Counterfeits, Imitations, and Copies of Roman Imperial Denarii: Making and Faking Coins on Both Sides of the Limes," A. Dymowski and K. Myzgin, Eds.,
Warsaw Studies in Archaeology, 2024, pp. 1-220.
Coin Details: ROMAN EMPIRE, Gordian II, AD 238, Fourrée Denarius (19mm, 3.12 g, 6h), Copying Rome mint, NGC Grade: "POSS. AN ANCIENT CTFT", Strike: N/A, Surface: N/A, Obverse: Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, IMP M ANT GORDIANVS AFR AVG, Reverse: Virtus standing left, holding shield set on ground to left and reversed spear, VIRTVS AVGG, References: Cf. RIC IV 3; cf. BMCRE 30; cf. RSC 14.
Image: NGC PhotoVision Plus.