Roman radiate 16-19 mm, figure walking left holding something

[Christopher H2]

Blackened silvering, peeling in some places showing copper underneath.
Very oblong flan, minimum 15.8 mm to maximum 19.3 mm.
Low weight at 2.21 grams.

Obverse: [.........] AVG
Reverse: Dude walking left holding labarum and wreath????? OR a winged woman walking left holding wreath?????

Just finding out which emperor this is would be a great help!

[Christopher H2]

Tried playing around with a magnifying lens, but I am not sure if the results are too helpful.

[Meepzorp]

Hi Chris,

Dude???!!! The figure on the reverse is wearing a dress. Since when does a "dude" wear a dress? Unless he's a transvestite.

Just judging from the type of clothing, I'd day that the figure on the reverse is either Nike/Victory or Artemis.

Meepzorp

[Meepzorp]

Hi Chris,

Dude???!!! The figure on the reverse is wearing a dress. Since when does a "dude" wear a dress? Unless he's a transvestite.

Just judging from the type of clothing, I'd day that the figure on the reverse is either Nike/Victory or Artemis.

Meepzorp

Hi Chris,

Maybe the reverse figure is Elagabalus. I remember reading that he used to like to dress as a woman.

Or maybe it's Nero. Wasn't he someone's bride once or twice?

 

Meepzorp

[manpace]

Tetricus I, though I don't see much of a beard on them emperor.

That's Spes on the reverse. She's walking to the left and the leading leg is much more prominent than the other one. When the coin is worn the other leg disappears completely and the figure looks like a spike or maybe you remember the Christmas Story lamp.


Also notice the little poofies at her waist - a gathered skirt or something, it's another familiar feature on the Speses (Spii?)

[benito]

..... it's another familiar feature on the Speses (Spii?) .    SPES
                                                                                                                                                       

[manpace]

Whoops, actually, it looks like VICTORIA.  If she's holding a wreath that's who it would be.  Also, Spes holds her dress with her other hand.  The photo I pasted above is actually Victoria.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Most likely VICTORIA AVG, but it could be Victorinus as easily as Tetricus I.

[Christopher H2]

Thanks a lot to everybody for their help! I never thought this little coin would spark so many replies!

I hadn't even heard of Victorinus until now. I kind of hope it's a coin of his since they seem slightly uncommon, but I've been wanting a Tetricus for a time, so one wouldn't hurt either!

I guess I have to look at some coins by both emperors now that I actually have something to work with, and compare as best as I can.

The flan is still strange to me, I can't find any other coin that seems to have the same weird oval flan. I guess it was just a uniquely shaped little piece of metal that got struck!

[manpace]

Most likely VICTORIA AVG, but it could be Victorinus as easily as Tetricus I.

I don't know of any Victorinus with Victoria on the back?  Or Spes?

Postumus has several, but many have stylistic variations...

[manpace]

The flan is still strange to me, I can't find any other coin that seems to have the same weird oval flan. I guess it was just a uniquely shaped little piece of metal that got struck!

These Gaulish coins, even the "official" ones, didn't often have good quality control.  And the barbarous, who knows what you will get.  The coin below I bought online, I had to ask the seller whether he photographed at an oblique angle, it looked so distorted.  Nope, he shot it straight on, it just has a football shape.

I don't know if yours has enough detail to identify as barbarous or not, but from the handful I've seen, the funny looking Victorias with distorted features often are...

[Christopher H2]

I forgot about your "sadface" coin! That is indeed a very similar shape. Cool!

Victorinus seems indeed to be limited to Pax, Salus, Fides, Virtus, Providentia, Pietas, Sol, Aeqvitas and Laetitia - No Victory! I guess he didn't win any memorable battles! Or perhaps it was thought odd to have Victorinus and Victoria together on a coin - they would almost seem to be in family with names like that.

Seems that this confirms it as: "Tetricus I AE Antoninianus. IMP C TETRICVS P F AVG, radiate draped bust right / VIRTVS AVGG, Virtus standing left with shield & spear. RIC 148, Cohen 207. (edit: I apparently copy-pasted the wrong wildwinds entry in some time ago)

By the way Meepzorp, I didn't catch your humorous comment about Elagabalus before now. I own just a single coin of his which is one of my favorites along with one of Philip II of Macedon. You see, the Elagabalus issue is from Philippopolis (Plovdiv, Bulgaria) - and I don't need to tell you who founded that city!

[Robert_Brenchley]

Victorinus VICTORIA AVG, RIC 75.

[Christopher H2]

Oh it is a Victorinus? Exciting stuff! Cologne mint, I see from your album. "Issue 4", is that synonymous with workshop 4?

I am starting to notice that whenever somebody identifies a coin here for me, it is often missing from Wildwinds. In this case they jump from #71 to #78, explaining why I thought Victory was missing from his types. I need to invest in real books!

I found this old thread with a very similar flan shape

Thanks a lot for the help!

[areich]

Issues are emissions of coins, one after the other, separated by weeks, months or years, depending on a coin type. Workshops worked in parallel, though often not all workshops took part in the striking of a particular issue. In general, defining such issues is often conjecture. For example, when it comes to coins of Probus, there are as many different chronologies as there are researchers. At least.

[Robert_Brenchley]

The more I look at it, the more I think it's Victorinus, but here's the other possibility, Tetricus I, his predecessor.

[Christopher H2]

The more I look at it, the more I think it's Victorinus, but here's the other possibility, Tetricus I, his predecessor.

Wow, my obverse could almost be a die-brother of this. Or at least having the sale celator for the bust. Very similar!