Augustus Denarius Ancient Roman Empire Silver Coin 19BC SIGNIS RECEPTIS RIC 86a (Provenanced to 1879)

Obverse: CAESAR AVGVSTVS, Head of Augustus, bare, right
Reverse: SIGNIS RECEPTIS, Round shield inscribed CL V, with S P Q R in corners between aquila, left, and standard, right
Date: c. 19-15 B.C., RIC 76a (Colonia Patricia mint)
Size: 18mm diameter, 3.71g weight
Composition: Silver

Banker's mark

This coin was discovered in 1879 in Portugal. In the winter of 1879, near the town of Santo Estêvão in northern Portugal, Roman ruins were discovered on the left bank of the River Tâmega. Exploration of the ruins revealed a ceramic vessel containing about 700 denarii from the Roman Republic and early Roman Empire. António Luís Gomes de Moraes Sarmento (1851-1929), an army general and engineer with knowledge of numismatics, acquired a number of the coins. The general then published 75 of these denarii (this one included) with line drawings and descriptions in the Portuguese journal, O Universo Illustrado, in 1880 and 1883.