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Sestertius - Trajan S P Q R OPTIMO PRINCIPI S C
| Issuer | Roman Imperial Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 103-111 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Emperor Trajan facing right, rendered in bold high relief characteristic of Trajanic imperial portraiture. The emperor's strong profile features a prominent brow and short-cropped hair beneath the laurel wreath. The paludamentum (military cloak) is visible at the shoulder, conveying both civic and military authority. The encircling legend runs along the outer rim in clear Latin capitals. |
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| Mintage | ND (103-111) |
| Additional information |
The OPTIMO PRINCIPI title — "to the best ruler" — was formally voted to Trajan by the Senate in 114 AD, though it appears on coinage somewhat earlier, reflecting the gradual institutional drift toward its use during precisely this emission window. No emperor before Trajan received the title, and none after claimed it with the same senatorial sincerity; later adoptions of the phrase carried an increasingly hollow quality.
RIC II 536 falls within the period bracketing Trajan's Dacian wars, the second of which concluded in 106 with the annexation of Dacia and a triumphal influx of gold that financed some of the most ambitious building programs Rome had seen in generations.