FORVM`s Classical Numismatics Discussion Board

Numismatic and History Discussion Forums => Ancient Coin Forum => Topic started by: Tacitus on February 21, 2011, 05:43:13 pm

Title: Reusing the Portraits
Post by: Tacitus on February 21, 2011, 05:43:13 pm
How many emperors actually had the previous emperor's portait on the coins?  (i.e.  how many portraits got resused?)... I am not meaning commemoratives or posthumous issues...
Title: Re: Reusing the Portraits
Post by: Jay GT4 on February 21, 2011, 05:45:37 pm
During civil wars I think this happened quite a bit.  I have a few coins of Vespasian that look like Vitellius and one that looks like Vitellius with Otho's hair!  I started a picture thread a few months ago, I'll try to dig it up.

EDIT: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=61370.0 
Title: Re: Reusing the Portraits
Post by: commodus on March 03, 2011, 12:22:13 pm
It happened in several third century AD reigns as well, sometimes with very slight modifications. For one, Trajan Decius's reused portraits of Philip I as his own early in his coinage.
Title: Re: Reusing the Portraits
Post by: Robert_Brenchley on March 05, 2011, 03:50:21 pm
Early Postumus issues look remarkably like Gallienus.
Title: Re: Reusing the Portraits
Post by: dafnis on March 05, 2011, 05:09:42 pm
It's also very interesting to see the very first Traianus coins, how they resemble Nerva and how over time they get their distinctive Traianus look after a few iterations.