ICE returns 'Contorniato di Traiano' to Italy

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), returned two 9th century Italian manuscripts and a Roman coin, a Contorniato, during a repatriation ceremony at the Italian Embassy in Washington. A “Contorniato di Traiano,” was a reward given to soldiers or civilians during the rule of Trajan. (98-117 A.D.) A contorniate, or contourniate, is a type of ancient Roman medal or medallion made of bronze. The coin was stolen from the Oliveriano Museum in Pesaro in 1978. In April 2016, an auction house contacted the museum to report that a suspicious coin had recently been consigned by the executor of an estate. The auction house surrendered the coin to HSI Philadelphia in 2018.