Antique Silver Coin Cabinet Ticket for Roman Republican Moneyers

[Andrew McCabe]

Here's something interesting I picked up yesterday: a set of 165 antique silver coin cabinet tickets with the names of Roman Republican moneyers. From the format of the moneyer's names which follow Cohen and earlier works, rather than Babelon and later, I'm guessing these are 18th century or early 19th century. Small pic in thread, larger pic below so you can read the tickets!



There's one moneyer missing so far as I can see (Volteia) but all the others differ including one marked "INCERTA". Whilst they look lovely on the scrabble board, I may want to use it again so my plan is to do something rather ordinary with them in the long term - use these as, or as part of, my actual coin tickets in the trays, where over 100 special coins (focusing on those with great pedigrees) will get a little silver ticket alongside them in their cabinet slot.

[Jay GT4]

Very cool Andrew!

[Mat]

Thats pretty neat.

[orfew]

That is really cool!

[curtislclay]

What might the V stand for, before each family name? One might have expected G for Gens.

Does the INCERTA marker also have a V?

[cmcdon0923]

Very neat !!

Someone went to a lot of trouble and probably a decent expense to have them made up.

And the toning is beautiful......possibly the perfect example of "cabinet toning".

[Joss]

It's weird, but nice. It's also strange that they just mention the moneyer's gens, and not the full name or the date. 

[dougsmit]

Do the letters seem individually engraved or struck from a prepared punch?  This would add weight to the question of these being one of a kind or a product produced commercially (odd we had not seen them in this case).

[Andrew McCabe]

Do the letters seem individually engraved or struck from a prepared punch?  This would add weight to the question of these being one of a kind or a product produced commercially (odd we had not seen them in this case).

Individually engraved, and sometimes they ran out of space and had to jam in the letters, sometime there was open space left at the end and sometime it was a perfect fit. There's also evidently been an occasional replacement, engraved in a different hand on a slightly different disc size. Definitely a one off.

[Andrew McCabe]

What might the V stand for, before each family name? One might have expected G for Gens.

Does the INCERTA marker also have a V?

That's the mystery I was hoping a Latin scholar might help with. There isn't just V
- about 80% are preceded by V. (eg Baebia) or V.AE. (eg Numitoria) or V.AV. (eg Cestia)
- most the rest are preceded by P. (eg Quinctilia)
- one has X.V. (Statia ie Murcus RRC 510)
- two have no letter preceding - Incerta and Saufeia though I think the latter is a replacement

There's no correlation between P / V and Republican / Augustan / Provincial issues. I thought about Patrician / Plebian in some language but many gens are both. I think if someone solves thr mystery of V / P / X.V it will help our understanding a lot.

The choice of names pre dates Babelon but I wonder could I get a better handle on the date by finding a specific antiquarian numismatic book that has a list of moneyers that closely matches this list including Silia (in Cohen but not Babelon) Aebutia (bronze of Corinth I recall) and Rubellia (sounds like measles)

[Andrew McCabe]

In the picture below (thumbnail in the post) you can see how I'm incorporating the tickets into my collection. One typical tray show...

[curtislclay]

I would think the markers deserve their own compartents, if you have enough tray space!

[Andrew McCabe]

I'm having a careful think about to present and arrange all my 'ticket' information, whether past tags, provenance proofs, my own tags or these silver tags. I've binders of tags organised according to my collection and likely eventually the silver pieces will go in there too. Or perhaps under my paper tags under my coins. Or in parallel (every alternate) tray. Work in progress. Meanwhile I wanted to start allocating the silver tickets to actual coins.

[Norbert]

Mommsen, in the German edition, names gens Rubellii ( C. Rubellius Blandus) and Silii (Silius) as moneyers for bronze under Augustus in a footnote in part 8 and his appendix on mints, moneyers (and families).

[Andrew McCabe]

Mommsen, in the German edition, names gens Rubellii ( C. Rubellius Blandus) and Silii (Silius) as moneyers for bronze under Augustus in a footnote in part 8 and his appendix on mints, moneyers (and families).

Thanks Norbert, that's helpful. Maybe that's the source of the list, I'll have a look in Mommsen.

[Meepzorp]

Hi Andrew,

That's an interesting item!

They look beautiful with that toning.

Meepzorp