Is there a web resource where I can learn more about Antony's Legionary denarii? How many legions did he command or mint coins for? Are some more desirable than others based on the history of the legion? I'm in negotiations to buy a denarius of the Fourth legion. Any interesting history about that legion?
Here is some information on late
Republican Legions
Wikipedia Late
Republican Legions
Each legion in turn has its own
home page. So you can look up your legion. Here is Legion Four:
Wikipedia Legio IV Scythica
Legio IV Scythica was levied by
Mark Antony around 42 BC, for
his campaign against the
Parthian Empire, hence its other
cognomen, Parthica. The legion was
still active in
Syria in the early 5th century. The legion's symbol was a
capricorn. In its first years, the whereabouts of IV Scythica are uncertain, although it is probable that it took
part in Antony's campaign against the
Parthians. The name suggests that it fought against the Scythians. After the battle of
Actium and Antony's suicide,
Octavian transferred IIII Scythica to the Danube province of
Moesia. The legion is reported to have taken
part in civilian tasks, such as the building and keeping of roads. In
his youth, future emperor
Vespasian served in this legion.
As to
rarity / commonness of the coins, the best guide is
Roman Silver Coins prices, which distill the wisdom of thousands of numismatists over the ages. All the varieties can be regarded as COMMON with the following EXCEPTIONS
LEG PRI extremely
rare, may not be genuine
LEG IIX extremely
rare (missing from my
collection)
LEG
VIIII scarceLEG XII ANTIQVAE common but much sought after
LEG XIIII
scarceLEG XVII
CLASSICAE common but much sought after
LEG XVIII
scarceLEG XVIII LYBICAE
scarceLEG XVIIII very
rare (missing from my
collection)
LEG XXIII
scarce and much sought after
The Praetorian Cohorts and the
Speculatores types are a little
scarce.
Most people know that XXIII is a tough legion to get. It is less well known that XVIIII (long form of 19) is genuinely
rare. XIX is of course common.
My legionaries are here:
https://tinyurl.com/ryz5tlpAnd pictured in the screen-shot below (apologies for the
poor quality, it is literally a screen shot - I will make up a better version in time).
A nice post of some decent legionaries can also be found here:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=8078.0