I have spent quite some time trying to attribute this coin. I have tentatively attributed it as
RIC 1154. It's a huge coin at 22.3g and 30mm. I can make out only
part of the legends on both sides. I can make out the VSAVG
GERM SAR on the
obverse and TRP X
IMP VIII on the
reverse. So I believe it is:
OBV:
M ANTONINVS AVG GERM SARMATICVS, laureate
head right
REV: TR P XXIX
IMP VIII COS III S-C,
Annona standing left, holding corn-ears &
cornucopiae;
modius with two corn-ears and poppy at her feet
It's better looking in hand than the image posted. The card inside the
flip that came with the coin indicates it was "a river find from Norfolk,
England" and was sold by Elkins Coins, Long Stratton, Norwich,
England in 2007.
Doug Smith sent the following information:
"Another is
BMCRE Volume IV page 647 * noted as
Cohen 931 but the coin is not in their
collection so it gets a
star and no number.
Cohen lists it as common and in the
French national
collection but it can't be too common or the British Museum would have
had one. It is listed as
M ANTONINVS AVG GERM SARMATICVS / TRP
XXX IMP VIII COS III SC which seems consistent with what remains on your coin. The
reverse is "
Pietas standing left dropping inscense on lighted
altar and holding a box of perfumes." You could have the lighted
altar but you have a
cornucopia rather than a box and the item in hand looks like
corn ears rather than incense. Backing up to the year before we see the TRP number on the
obverse in place of Sarmaticus so the
IMP number is on the left rather than the right but there is a
type (
BMCRE 1505) "
Annona, draped, standing front
head left, holding in right hand
corn ears over
modius with poppy and
corn ears left and
cornucopia in left hand." This seems exactly hat we see on your coin so I suspect that the die was made right at the change over between TRP XXIX and
XXX. I do not know how this aligns with
RIC since I don't have that volume.
I am no expert in Antonine period bronzes. If it were my coin I'd probably post it on
Forvm in the
hope Curtis Clay (who is the expert on these) would see it and reply or write to him directly at Harlen
Berk in Chicago. It is quite possible that the
type is known from other specimens since
BMC was written but if it is a new
type I suspect he would be happy to have the report. The coin is not
high grade but enough of the legends are readable that I'd consider the possibility that it is either
rare or unlisted and should be reported. Who knows - you might make the next edition of
RIC. On the other hand we might be missing something obvious (remember this is not my 'thing') and all we will do is make fools of ourselves. I do that with some regularity."
I have written to
Curtis Clay but wanted to post it here hoping someone can
help with this coin's
attribution?
Regards to all
