About This Coin
A copper-alloy coin identified by numismatist Sandy Campbell as Roman, dating from 100 to 300 AD. Emma Culligan's XRF analysis showed a composition of copper, silicon, lead, and tin. The coin was one of four recovered by Rick Lagina and Gary Drayton from the circular depression on Lot 5 during the Season 11 premiere.
The coin's date range places it in the Imperial Roman period, from the late Principate through the Crisis of the Third Century. Coins of this era were minted in enormous quantities across the empire and remained in circulation for centuries after production, often turning up in medieval contexts far from their original mint. Sandy Campbell noted in a later season that Roman coins were actively traded as currency well into the 1500s across Europe and the New World.
This coin is part of a concentration of Roman-era coins from Lot 5 that includes a half Roman coin from the 4th century AD found during Season 10, a Roman coin identified as Claudius II (250-270 AD) found during Season 13, and a second Roman coin from S11E1 estimated at over 2,000 years old. The cluster of Roman coinage on an uninhabited lot with no known history of habitation remains one of the more puzzling features of the island's archaeological record.
Historical Context
Sandy Campbell (numismatic identification), Emma Culligan (XRF); The Curse of Oak Island Season 11 Episode 1
Where It Was Found
Found at Lot 5 (circular depression) — Oak Island, Nova Scotia, Canada.
