Trajan AE Sestertius, OPTIMO PRINCIPI, Rome 114–117 AD, Spes, RIC II 519

Trajan, sestertius, bronze, reign 98–117 AD, struck at Rome 114–117 AD; 26.8 g; 33 mm. Obverse legend MP CAES NERVAE TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS V P P; laureate head of Trajan right, slight drapery on left shoulder. Reverse legend S P Q R OPTIMO PRINCIPI; Spes advancing left, holding flower in right hand and raising skirt with left; S C in field. Struck on a broad flan with complete legends, centrally aligned; die axis 6h. RIC II 519.

Issued late in Trajan’s reign during the eastern campaigns, this sestertius carries the senatorial title OPTIMO PRINCIPI and the personification Spes, a standard type expressing the state’s message of hoped-for success and continuity. The S C on the reverse denotes senatorial authorization for bronze issues. The coin reflects the propaganda of a period when Rome expanded into Armenia and Mesopotamia and consolidated imperial authority through both military action and civic presentation.