Carausius ruled Britain and, for some time, parts of what is now France during the latter part of the third century. Setting up a governmental infrastructure he struck coins at 3 towns/cities marked on his coins and at possible other, as yet unknown, locations. Many of his coins are wretched specimens and once you get beyond the ubiquitous Pax reverse there is a wide variety of reverse types.

It is my intention here to create an on-line archive of the most easily photographable specimens from my own trays. The arrangement follows that of RIC V which is not ideal as it is alphabetical by mint and the coherence and sequence of issues is lost.

For a discussion over the date of Carausius' mint marks and web links plus bibliography please see my web pages HERE.

397 files, last one added on May 14, 2023
Album viewed 121 times

Although Allectus followed Carausius his coins have never had the same appeal and so my holdings are much smaller. That is not to say that I have totally neglected this usurper.

I do not like the term "quinarius" for the late, smaller, Q marked pieces so I refer to them as antoniniani. I think that they probably reflect a late adjustment in the coinage.

As with the coins of Carausius some coins are such that they do not photograph too well.

62 files, last one added on Jun 18, 2018
Album viewed 39 times

The dates of the reign of the Roman Gallic usurper Postumus are not known for sure. Reviewing the proposed dates I have a preference for summer 260 through to spring (March?) 269.

The RIC volume for this series of coins is in need of serious revision and the attributions and references here are taken from "The Cunetio Treasure: Roman Coinage of the 3rd Century AD" (1983) by Besly and Bland.

56 files, last one added on Apr 26, 2022
Album viewed 27 times

The bronze coinage of Postumus, the remnants of the sestertii and double sestertii of earlier times, can be quite difficult to come by. I posted a brief synopsis on cataloguing bronze coins of Postumus HERE. Many people see the issues of reduced size and weight as smaller denominations but this is probably not the case but rather a reflection of the decline in metallic composition of the "antoninianus" by comparison.

In this gallery I present my own meagre holdings of these coins. The references are to Pierre Bastien's Le Monnayage de Bronze de Postume (1967)

30 files, last one added on Feb 20, 2023
Album viewed 24 times

A small gallery of antoniniani of Laelian (269), Marius (269) and Victorinus (269-71), arranged by mint and issue in accordance with the Cunetio hoard report.

42 files, last one added on Apr 05, 2022
Album viewed 28 times

A gallery of the coins of the last Gallic rulers.

64 files, last one added on Apr 04, 2022
Album viewed 28 times

Gallienus (253-68) was a pivotal ruler in the third century. During his reign the Empire began its decline, the loss of the Agri Decumates, the frequent barbarian raids, the disaster of the Persian campaign that saw the capture of his father.

The widespread military activity meant that "Roman" mints were established in a number of locations and, along with the decline in the base metal coinage, this sounded the death knell for the so called Roman provincial coinage.

References are to MIR by the late Robert Göbl.

For a superb collection of Gallienus and his family it is well worth visiting the website of fellow board member Ed Flinn.

162 files, last one added on Apr 26, 2022
Album viewed 23 times

As a companion to my Gallienus gallery here is a small collection of coins of his wife, Salonina.

Arranged and cataloged by Göbl number.

21 files, last one added on Dec 02, 2021
Album viewed 18 times

This gallery contains local radiate copies, also known as "barbarous radiates". There are, in the later third centrury, three phases of copying that all merge together but probably represent distinct groups:

1. Struck copies, often plated, of antoniniani of Postumus and before, probably made for fraudulent reasons
2. Cast copies from the early 270's, cast from genuine coins again probably made for fraudulent purposes
3. Struck copies on flans of all different sizes, of varying artistic merit. Often featuring Gallic or deified Claudius prototypes and found in the North-Western Gallic provinces and Britain they appear to be a "money of necessity" due to the lack of current coin in the years after the suppression of the Gallic revolt.

Some coins are very crude whilst others it is easy to see how they can be mistook for official coins.

63 files, last one added on Jan 10, 2019
Album viewed 13 times

I did start, at one stage, to collect the coins of the Palmyrene usurper Vabalathus, assembling the coins by officina.

It appears from the records and his coinage that he revolted during the reign of the Roman emperor Aurelian, taking control of the mints at Antioch and Alexandria.

His coinage initially gives him the titles abbreviated to VCRIMDR when he appears on the coinage with Aurelian. Later he appears as Augustus in his own right.

A coinage was also issued in the name of his mother, Zenobia, however these are extremely rare and I do not own a specimen.

For completeness I have also added two small bronze coins from the Roman period issued in Palmyra.

13 files, last one added on Feb 10, 2018
Album viewed 13 times

55 files, last one added on Apr 26, 2022
Album viewed 20 times

This small gallery of London mint coins is a pendant to the Carausius and Allectus galleries. After the defeat of the rebels the London mint stayed open until c.326 AD striking only base metal coins.

All the coins presented are folles, or, rather, nummi, using the current preferred terminology.

98 files, last one added on Feb 01, 2023
Album viewed 32 times

Gordian III provincials, lacking catalogue references at present; this gallery may develop into a general Gordian gallery. Silver denarii and sestertii from Rome recently added.

92 files, last one added on Mar 03, 2014
Album viewed 15 times

In this gallery I am posting coins that are catalogued by part 1 of Carson, Hill and Kent's Late Roman Bronze Coinage.

Initially the descriptions are going to be kept to an absolute minimum as the first coins to be posted are the VRBS ROMA and CONSTANTINOPOLIS issues.

48 files, last one added on Apr 26, 2011
Album viewed 12 times

I know they say that "pride comes before a fall" but in this gallery I'd like to share Roman coins from my trays that don't have a home elsewhere yet.

419 files, last one added on Apr 26, 2022
Album viewed 49 times

A small gallery of Roman republican (plus the odd imperatorial coin) coins sorted by Crawford number. At the end there are a couple of provincial coins with links to the republican series.

38 files, last one added on Apr 06, 2022
Album viewed 25 times

A small gallery of follis fractions that I've picked up over the years. Would like to get a few more as and when I see them.

14 files, last one added on Mar 12, 2017
Album viewed 14 times

A small gallery dedicated to the unfortunate son of Constantine I. The numbers after the mint name refer to the RIC VII number.

21 files, last one added on Jan 26, 2022
Album viewed 15 times

A small gallery of minor Greek silver fractions. Nothing stunning, just a sideline of the commonest fractions (the smaller the better - a perverse enjoyment). I initially set a deadline of fifth century BC but I do seem to be coming a bit more recent occasionally.

Many of the catalogure references are the dealer's, any corrections welcome.

90 files, last one added on Feb 28, 2022
Album viewed 16 times

A small gallery of Sasanian etc. coins. This may become a general "other ancient coins" album as more odds and ends get photographed. As this is not my real area of understanding any corrections are most welcome.

44 files, last one added on Jan 06, 2010
Album viewed 10 times

One board member called their gallery "Cigar Box", everything that didn't fit into their coin galleries. Well, this is mine. Mainly Roman artefacts collected over the years but probably a few Greek will get incorporated too. It also includes my small collection of fossil trilobites.

113 files, last one added on Jun 19, 2018
Album viewed 18 times

A few pennies of Edward I of England plus continental sterling imitations of an Edwardian design.

24 files, last one added on Dec 10, 2019
Album viewed 1 times

I suppose this album should be called something like if only.....!

Over the years I have acquired a few plaster casts taken from Roman medallions or, as in the case of the "Arras Medallion", the British Museum electrotype. Whilst they cannot replace the original specimen these casts allow the observer to dream and to marvel at third century Roman numismatic art.

The photographs are monochrome because of the glare from the plaster and the need to highlight the design through shadow.

More complete references and descriptions will appear shortly.

12 files, last one added on May 16, 2007
Album viewed 2 times

Following an enquiry on the "Identification" board here at FORVM I have posted this small gallery of countermarked Spanish coins from the 1630's to 1650's.

I realise that these are not ancient coins, however, some of them are so wretched having been restruck, or rather countermarked, time and time again, often with Roman numerals, they may be mistaken for them. I hope this gallery will aid the identification of them.

If I use the word obverse I do not refer to the undertype but merely the photo that is presented on the left.

The form of the countermarks are as follows:

PHILIPPVS monogram on the obverse with REX monogram on the reverse

Date in cartouche or crowned with value on the opposite side, either in Roman numerals with a letter below (mintmark) or modern (Arabic) numerals in circle or cartouche.

The mint ID letters are:

S = Seville
MD = Madrid
G = Grenada
B = Burgos
ttt or "picket fence" (actually the Roman aqueduct at Segovia) = Segovia
Ankh (actualy o above T) = Toledo
Pomegranate = Granada
Bat = Valencia

and so on....

A good introductory work of reference on these coins is a paper by P K Anderson "Numismatic Tatooing" in World Countermarks on Medieval and Modern Coins, edited by G G Brunk.

13 files, last one added on May 08, 2011
Album viewed 5 times

Inspired by Cornelius C Vermeule's paper "The imperial shield as a mirror of Roman are on medallions and coins" in the 1978 Sutherland festschrift I have posted a few shields on Roman coins from my collection.

Obverse and reverse images of most of these coins can be found in my other galleries.

14 files, last one added on Mar 05, 2010
Album viewed 1 times

York is my home town and with the Constantine exhibition being staged in the city in 2006 I thought that a "mini guide" might be useful to visitors. The photo numbers refer to the three plans included in the gallery. More photos to come.

If anyone is coming to town and wants more info drop me a line at r_j_b@talk21.com.

19 files, last one added on May 09, 2005
Album viewed 2 times

A gallery of random trays from my collection.......

7 files, last one added on Apr 05, 2014
Album viewed 2 times

A temporary gallery to attach images to PM's in response to FORVM member's queries.

83 files, last one added on Jun 30, 2014
Album viewed 7 times