Denarius - Trajan S P Q R OPTIMO PRINCIPI, Victory

Trajan's OPTIMO PRINCIPI titulature — "to the best ruler" — was formally voted by the Senate around 114 AD, but appears on coinage well before that date, reflecting a calculated program of flattery that the emperor himself reportedly accepted with some reluctance according to Pliny the Younger's Panegyricus, delivered in 100 AD. The Victory type ties directly to the Dacian Wars: the first campaign concluded in 102, the second in 106, and the mint sustained Victory reverse types across the entire intervening period to keep the military achievement in public circulation.