Fantasy Forgery of Trajan

Trajan, denarius (modern forgery), AR, reign AD 98–117, 3.41 g, 19 mm. Obverse with laureate head of Trajan right and a fabricated or blundered imperial legend; reverse with a fantasy type and legend combination unattested for Trajan. Modern manufacture, not an ancient strike; fabric, engraving, and legend pairing inconsistent with the official Trajanic denarius series. Unlisted in RIC II (Trajan), Woytek (Die Reichsprägung des Kaisers Traianus), BMCRE, Cohen/RSC; a commonly encountered modern fake of a non-existent type.

Trajan (AD 98–117) expanded Roman rule to its greatest geographic extent and oversaw extensive building and administrative reforms; his official denarii form a large, well-documented series used to communicate military achievements, public distributions, and infrastructure projects. The standardized legends and reverse programs of the period provide diagnostic controls that make modern fantasy types and mismatched legend–type combinations identifiable.