Trajan Decius, 249-251. Double Sestertius (Orichalcum, 36mm, 39.25 g 1), Rome. IMP C M Q TRAIANVS DECIVS AVG Radiate and cuirassed bust of Trajan Decius to right, with slight drapery on his far shoulder; in field to left, remains of oval counterstamp. Rev. FELICITAS SAECVLI / S - C Felicitas standing facing, her head turned to left, holding long caduceus in her right hand and cornucopiae in her left. Cohen 39. RIC 115a. Dark green patina. Minor flan crack, scratches on the reverse and remains of a counterstamp on the obverse, otherwise, nearly extremely fine.

From the Stoecklin Collection and from the collection of Dr. Naegeli in Zürich, purchased from Jacob Hirsch, and from the collection of Sir Arthur Evans, Ars Classica XVII, 3 October 1934, 1675, and from that of his father, Sir John Evans, previously either in the collection of the House of Este, lost in 1630, or that of the Gonzagas.

This coin has been above ground, and in collections, for at least 400 years. The oval depression in the obverse field is clearly the remains of one of the typical eagle counterstamps, which were applied to mark coins that were part of one of two of the great Italian Renaissance coin collections: the Este or the Gonzaga. Scholars have long thought them to be Este coins, but a good case was made for them to belong to the Gonzagas. However, there now seems to be documentary evidence that these coins really are from the Este collection. In any case, the applied eagle, which must have once been on this coin, disappeared long ago: the depression was then filled with some sort of lacquer and smoothed over (as can be seen in the illustration of pl. 53 of AC XVII). This filling has since been partially lost. Quite obviously, if this coin could tell us its full history, since it was discovered, the tale would be an amazing one!