Trajan - alimenta

Circa A.D. 103 to 111 gold aureus of Trajan. The coin was struck at Rome and depicts a laureate and draped bust of Trajan on its obverse. Trajan also appears on the reverse, where he is standing facing left, a scroll in his left hand, extending his right hand to two children standing with their arms raised toward him. The inscription below, ALIM ITAL, is a reference to the alimenta. Graded Very Fine the coin made $2,000 in 2020.

TRAJAN AR silver denarius. Annona standing, child at her feet. ALIM ITAL, Alimenta Italia.

Alimentary grants (alimenta) were a form of state support in Italy for citizen children, initiated by Emperor Nerva and expanded under Trajan. Unlike previous grain doles, which were privately funded and limited to Rome, the new initiative was a state-funded subsidy at regular intervals for children all across Italy. Trajan’s pride in the alimenta led to a series of coins in gold, silver and bronze to commemorate it. This program continued under his successor and lasted into the mid-third century.