Magnentius from Lyon OTD

[gb29400]

My last Magnentius

D N MAGNEN-TIVS P F AVG , Bare-headed, draped and cuirassed bust right; A behind
R/ GLORIA ROMANORVM, Magnentius on horseback charging right, spearing enemy., RSLG in ex.
Maiorina 20 mm / 4.47 g – Lyon – Third phase de mai 350 - august 350 – Bastien 161 (17 ex) - RIC.115

[quadrans]

Great revers...

Q.

[Canaan]

Great details, I love this coins.

[Randygeki(h2)]

Awesome coin! I love the reverse!

[maridvnvm]

Absolutely gorgeous.

[quadrans]

This is mine from trier with interesting horse head :

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-137282

148 Magnentius (350-353 A.D.), Trier, RIC VIII 267, AE-22, Centenionalis, A/-//--;-/-//TRP•, GLORIA ROMANORVM, Emperor in military dress galloping right,
avers:- DN MAGNEN TIVS P F AVG, Bare-headed, draped, cuirassed bust right, A behind head.
revers:- GLORIA ROMANORVM, Emperor in military dress galloping right, holding shield, wielding spear at a bare-headed foe before the horse.
exerg: A/-//--;-/-//TRP•, diameter: 21-21,5mm, weight: 4,66g, axis: 7h,
mint: Trier, date: 350-353 AD., ref: RIC VIII 267,

 Regards
 Q.

[dougsmit]

Lyon seems to have had a problem with human proportions.  Those are short legs.  Trier loved hose cat/horses.  I bought this broken one years ago before I realized that many of them are like that.  I'm always a fan of Amiens style so I'll tack on one of the type from there.

[Gert]

Checking the plates in Bastien and pictures in online databases, I don't see that Lyon had more problems with human proportions than the other mints. The style of this coin is crude in comparison to Lyon examples as well. Next to the engraving of the reverse devices, check for instance the uneven lettering in the legends and, perhaps more notably, the letters in the exergue. I'd say this is a contemporary imitation.
Regards
Gert

[maridvnvm]

My 115 from Lugdunum doesn't seem to suffer from a proportion problem.

[dougsmit]

Proportions, no, but the rider sure sits low in the swayback horse.  I'd have to see a few hundred Magnentius Lugdunum coins before I'd even think about where to draw a line between official and copies.  I have no rider type from this mint to compare but the later types seem to have much more refined style.

[SC]

I agree with Doug.  Normally I would call this imitative due to the stylistic issues and even the uneven lettering.  But Magnentian coinage is such an odd thing anyway.  There seems to be a spectrum from official mint with experienced staff, official mint with new / temporary staff, semi-official to downright imitative production, and it is not always easy to figure out where a given coin sits.

It is, in any case, a great coin with a fabulous reverse.

SC