Decentius Caesar, Aquileia mint, Æ2-3, cf. RIC 178.

[Arminius]

Hello,

The reverse legend of my coin is "VIRTVS EXERCITVM" but not "VIRTVS EXERCITVS" as RIC VIII describes:



Decentius Caesar, Aquileia mint, officina 2, 351-352 AD.,
Æ2-3 (ø 18,5-19,5 mm / 3,30 g), bronze, axis about coin alignment ↑↓ (ca. 200°),
Obv.: D N DECENTI - VS FORT CAES , his bare-headed draped and cuirassed bust r.
Rev.: VIRTVS EXERCITVM / AQ S , emperor, bare-headed and in military dress, standing left, holding globe and scepter.
cf. RIC VIII, p. 331, no. 178 (R) (reverse legend VIRTVS EXERCITVS, an error or guess?) ; cf. LRBC 918 ; www.nummus-bible-database.com - .

As i did not find a picture of another coin i suppose RIC is not correct here. Maybe nobody had a well preserved specimen of this rare issue with visible M ?
Or this is a slip of the engraver resulting in a different reverse die ?
The coin looks official to me so i would exclude a contemporary imitation.

 

[curtislclay]

Apparently only three other specimens are known, two of them with a clear S at the end of EXERCITVS.

Bastien 359, pl. XI, Milan. Exergue damaged, but reading [AQ]S seems probable. Last letter of EX - ERCITVS off flan, so EX - ERCITV[M] can't be excluded. From different dies than yours.

Bastien Supplement 359a, pl. S V, BM. Mintmark mostly off flan, read AQP, but AQS  looks more likely. ERCITVS on right fully clear. From different dies than both yours and the Milan coin.

Ditto 359b, same pl. S V, Auctiones 10, 1979, 799. Mintmark clearly [A]QT. ERCITVS on right fully clear.

So your EX - ERCITVM indeed appears to be a new legend variety, unless that is the correct reading of the Milan specimen too!

[Arminius]

Apparently only three other specimens are known, two of them with a clear S at the end of EXERCITVS.

Bastien 359, pl. XI, Milan. Exergue damaged, but reading [AQ]S seems probable. Last letter of EX - ERCITVS off flan, so EX - ERCITV[M] can't be excluded. From different dies than yours.

Bastien Supplement 359a, pl. S V, BM. Mintmark mostly off flan, read AQP, but AQS  looks more likely. ERCITVS on right fully clear. From different dies than both yours and the Milan coin.

Ditto 359b, same pl. S V, Auctiones 10, 1979, 799. Mintmark clearly [A]QT. ERCITVS on right fully clear.

So your EX - ERCITVM indeed appears to be a new legend variety, unless that is the correct reading of the Milan specimen too!

Thank you Curtis !
I´m always surprised about the possibilities to find little treasures in those neglected late Roman areas.

 

[Heliodromus]

I have one of these too. I just came across Arminus's coin with it's clear EXERCITVM legend, and on inspection it seems mine is the same too. The final letter of the legend is mostly off-flan, but it does seem to start with the straight upright of an "M" rather than being an "S".

Ben