It is useful to remember that
sestertii and middle bronzes, with Latin legends and marked with the letters S C, were struck virtually only at the
mint of
Rome during the second and third cent. AD.
If a silver coin is in exactly the
style of the
sestertii and middle bronzes of the same emperor, then it too will have been struck at
Rome. Very often it will share its
rev. type too with the bronze coins.
A silver coin in CRUDER
style than the bronze coins, and often using
types that do not appear on the bronzes, will almost certainly come from a
provincial or branch
mint.
It very much helps to consult advanced catalogues such as
RIC and
BMC, where the coins from the different mints are separated from each other and illustrated on different plates, so you can easily compare the different styles. It is a major weakness of David Sear's
Roman Coins and their Values that the coins of different mints are NOT separated, but jumbled together, making it very difficult for a beginner to learn how to recognize the difference.
We only know the
officina number when it is actually specified on the coin by a
Roman or Greek numeral. If an
officina number is given in the description, but not actually specified on the coin, then it is merely some scholar's conjecture, not established knowledge!
Serious collectors of
Gordian III will be interested to know that one of the best private
collections of the silver coins of
Gordian III ever formed will be dispersed in this year's Gemini IV Sale, NYC, 8 January 2008.
