odd Magnentius coin

[clueless]

Dear Board,

I have here a somewhat puzzling piece of Magnentius.

The style is quite nice, but I suppose it is an unofficial issue.
RIC 310 cites a similar sized coin but with a column supporting the wreath and differences in legends.
Am I missing something here ?

obv: DN MAGNEN-TIVS PF AVG   A behind bust
rev: VICTORIAE DD NN AVG ET C wreath inscribed VOT-V MVL-X

mintmark TRP

diameter 16 mm
weight 1.7 g

Any comments appreciated !

Cheers,

Clueless

[Pekka K]

Unofficial, as on official coins  VOT-V MVL-X is only found in Arelate:

[Heliodromus]

Probably unofficial, but ...

At Lyons (vs Trier) there are both column and no-column types in both full and half denomination types. Half with-column = RIC 125, Half no-column = RIC 143-144.

At Trier the full denomination type was also issued in column and no-column types, but as you say the only halves are RIC 310-311 with column (and per a footnote, suspected of being "irregular", presumably meaning unofficial).

It doesn't seem surprising if Trier might have issued half-value types the same as Lyons, but then where are they ?

I don't have many Trier photos to compare the style against, but certainly very well executed if unofficial.

[Lech Stępniewski]

The reverse is not bad, but the portrait suggests unofficial product.

[clueless]

Thank you, all of you.

Clueless

[Heliodromus]

Another indication it is unofficial is the "A" behind the bust.

The "A" or "N" markings were introduced on the bronze Fel Temp coinage (which had three denominations), and appear to have been used at the western mints as a value marker (A = galley, fallen horseman; N = hut, two captives). Magnentius continued to use these A/N markings appropriately on his coinage.

So, an "A" on a 16mm coin wouldn't be right, and the size is also well below what would be expected for an "N" denomination coin.

[clueless]

Good point indeed.

Clueless

[SC]

I agree that this is an unofficial coin.

However, on the question of half-denominations, personally I don't believe that that was the case.

Bastien (1983) continued to believe that there were half-denominations struck - in other words two sizes struck at the same time.

However, based on a study of the hoards and the mint marks, Depeyrot (1992, Le système monétaire de Diocletien à la fin de l'empire romain, in Revue Belge de Numismatique et de Sigillographie CXXXVIII) disputed this and I agree with him.

I believe that what we are faced with is a that was slowly declining in size and a large output of undersized unofficial coins using similar mint marks.

SC