Left-facing Trajan denarius - probably not listed yet

[timka]

Hi!

I would like to check with you this left-facing denarius of Trajan, I suppose it is unlisted in RIC and RSC and RD...I mean this very variant with left-facing Trajan.

Ob. IMP TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P - laur bust left with drapery on far shoulder
Rev. COS V PP SPQR OPTIMO PRINC - Aequitas standing left

RIC 118 (bust var), RSC 86 (bust var)

3,6 g (with pendant) - 18mm - 180'

As you can see the coin is still within the golden pendant - I did not remove it.  Would be interesting if someone in the know would advise if this is Roman style or barbarian- made pendant.  

This is already my fourth left-facing denarius that was utilized as pendant.  I have to admit that barbarians (or romans?) seemed to distinguish the left-facing portraits vis-a-vis common right ones, and used those rarer left portraits as pendants very often.

Also, would be interesting to know your point if view - should I keep or remove this golden pendant in order to preserve the value of the coin?
Thank you for your time,

Cheers,

Z.
  

[Jay GT4]

If the pendant is ancient I would leave it attached!

[curtislclay]

Woytek, MIR 278j, specimens in Warsaw and two in hoards. The Warsaw spec. illustrated, pl. 55; apparently same dies as yours.

As to the frame, I agree with Jay: it greatly increases the interest and value of the coin, so its removal would be a horrible mistake!

[timka]

Thank you Jay!
Thank you Curtis!

Thank you for your advice...stupid me,  I almost decided to free the coin...I already did this mistake with Galloping Hadrian denarius - I removed broken silver pendant from it, and even garbaged it , which I regret a lot at the moment. 

Have a nice week ahead!

Cheers,

Z.

[Rupert]

Interesting that Aequitas, not Trajan, is facing the right way when this pendant is worn, isn't it?

Rupert

[timka]

Rupert, thank you for your post! Well-noticed!...I guess that everyone of us would do it in a different way, ie placing Trajan in opposite direction. It seems that the previous owner of this pendant did not really care about the orientation of the portrait, or it was oriented specifically this way  - so that the owner of this pendant was able to see Trajan looking at him/her naturally, not upside-down, if the owner would want to hold the pendant in hand and kiss is it for instance. I cannot exclude that Trajan was percieved as some kind of God by a barbarian - I do believe that this is barbarian-made, as it was found on barbarian territory. By the way, nowadays, in my culture the christians used to kiss the pendant crosses when on the neck at certain occasions, like in chirch, etc...