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Author Topic: GALERIUS - the four tetrarchs swearing over tripod  (Read 689 times)

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Offline sinnb-sinnb

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GALERIUS - the four tetrarchs swearing over tripod
« on: January 13, 2022, 11:13:04 am »
Hi, I need a bit of help on this Galerius coin, although it is in bad condition,  and overcleaned, I think it is interesting.

Every other coin I find of this type is Argenteus, but this coin is Copper or at best very low-grade silver like an antoninianus.

The text is also different, obverse: MAXIMINVS (Letter)

Mintmark: C or epsilon

Is it a type that I can’t find or a contemporary fake?

Size: 1,95 mm

Weight:18,9 g

Offline BiancasDad

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Re: GALERIUS - the four tetrarchs swearing over tripod
« Reply #1 on: January 13, 2022, 11:57:37 am »
I'm seeing the obverse legend as MAXIMI_ANVS[C?]

Offline Lech Stępniewski

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Re: GALERIUS - the four tetrarchs swearing over tripod
« Reply #2 on: January 13, 2022, 12:03:51 pm »
Probably an ancient imitation of RIC VI TREVERI 110a with errors in legends. I believe that originally it was plated to pretend a good silver coin.



Lech Stępniewski
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Offline Lech Stępniewski

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Re: GALERIUS - the four tetrarchs swearing over tripod
« Reply #3 on: January 13, 2022, 12:42:09 pm »
I completely forgot that I have already similar type on my page. First example looks quite good, so maybe it was an official product which was later copied by forgers?



Lech Stępniewski
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Offline SC

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Re: GALERIUS - the four tetrarchs swearing over tripod
« Reply #4 on: January 13, 2022, 05:06:19 pm »
Are we sure it is not a modern fake?

Even plated it would not look very convincing - odd-shaped flan, large casting bubble on one side, casting flaws on the letters.  And the argenteii were not low value coins so one would expect them to have been looked at more than a post-reform radiate or nummus.

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Offline Ron C2

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Re: GALERIUS - the four tetrarchs swearing over tripod
« Reply #5 on: January 13, 2022, 06:54:14 pm »
In my opinion, it's a cast fake. Whether ancient or not, no idea, but probably modern.
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Offline Lech Stępniewski

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Re: GALERIUS - the four tetrarchs swearing over tripod
« Reply #6 on: January 14, 2022, 05:11:10 am »
I have no hard evidence to prove that this coin is an ancient imitation - only pictures. But it seems to me unlikely to create in modern times such an ugly fake. I believe that this coin is really worn (not made worn artificially by forger) and it is a poor brother of the second coin I uploaded, which was sold on CNG eAuction 354 (lot 588) in July 2015 for USD 170. And described as follows by someone who had this coin in hand:

Quote
Galerius. As Caesar, AD 293-305. AR Argenteus (17.5mm, 2.73 g, 11h). Treveri (Trier) mint. Struck circa AD 295-297. Laureate head right / Tetrarchs sacrificing over tripod before city enclosure with six turrets; C. RIC VI 110b var. (obv. legend); Jelocnik 97 var. (same); RSC 216b var. (same). Near VF, toned, some porosity, a few marks on obverse. Very rare with this obverse legend.

Of course, it can't be excluded that the first coin is a modern cast copy of a late barbarian imitation. But it would be a strange move.

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Offline sinnb-sinnb

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Re: GALERIUS - the four tetrarchs swearing over tripod
« Reply #7 on: January 14, 2022, 06:39:19 am »
As there are different opinions on this coin, its way on the ancient coin marked stops here, the coin will be stored away, marked fake, and newer again come on the marked. 

Offline sinnb-sinnb

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Re: GALERIUS - the four tetrarchs swearing over tripod
« Reply #8 on: January 14, 2022, 07:03:04 am »
Thank you very much every one.

 

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