http://i.imgur.com/poJNP54.jpg http://i.imgur.com/nBbtygt.jpg
My wife got me this for my birthday a while back, and it is supposed to be Octavian on one side, and Marcus Antonius on the other but that's really all I know about it assuming it's true. Is that actually them? Would this coin have much value at the time or is the equivalent of a dime? Is it strange for them both to be on the same coin or does it represent some sort of alliance?
This is a coin commemorating the Second Triumvirate, which was a political alliance between Octavian, Marc Antony, and Marcus Lepidus, formed in 43 BC. They also minted these coins in gold, and you can also find examples with Octavian on one side, Lepidus on the other.
From what I can tell from the photo, your coin is a sliver denarius, but you would really need to get an expert to value the coin and make sure it is genuine, not just a copy/forgery.
A silver denarius wasn't the lowest value coin in circulation, they also had very small bronze denominations. A denarius was worth 1/25 of the highest gold denomination (the aureus) while a bronze quadrans was worth only 1/1600 of the highest gold denomination.
During Octavian's time, a centurion in the army was paid between 3,750-15,000 denarii a year if that helps give an idea of its value.
