Roman Gold Coin Found in Somogy County

The year 2022 started very well for the Rippl-Rónai Museum in Kaposvár, southern Hungary. The museum staff, together with museum-friendly volunteers, discovered a very special coin while exploring a new archaeological site.

The coin, weighing 5.62 grams and struck in gold, was made in the Roman Empire in the mid-3rd century. The coin was minted by Emperor Volusianus, who reigned from around November 251 to August 253. The young emperor, aged 22, was assassinated by his own soldiers.

The obverse of the gold coin, which is in good condition, shows a bearded portrait of the emperor with a crown of rays on his head, while the reverse depicts Libertas, the personification of freedom.

The denomination of the recovered coin is aureus – also known as binio – which were minted in the Roman Empire from the 1st century BC. “

“The present coin is also special for our museum because Roman gold coins are usually not found very often, and Volusianus' coins are also rare. The gold coin, which is also rare in Hungary, has been added to the Numismatic Collection of the Rippl-Rónai Museum, which previously had only one Roman gold coin. We are confident that the site will hold further surprises for us,” the museum’s website notes,