| Image search results - "Rare" |
Elagabalus - Dupondius - 220 AD
Ob.: IMP CAES M AVR ANTONINVS PIVS AVG; Radiate and draped bust right
Rev. P M TR P III COS III P P S C; Sol walking left, holds a whip. A star in the left field.
gs. 11,1 mm. 23,4 Rare
Cohen 159, RIC 301, Sear RCV 7588
Maxentius
|
|
And. II / Michael IX, aEF. The coin is common, but is RARE uncliped.Alexios
|
|
Maybe VERY RARE coin. Verifying attribution Coin #635cars100
|
|
Silver tetradrachm, Prieur 720 (1 example), SNG Paris 2331, Weber -, VF, 13.043g, 26.9mm, 180o, Aegeae mint, 132 - 133 A.D.; obverse AUTOKR KAIS TRAIA ADRIANO SEB P P, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right; reverse ETOUS •QOR• AIGEAIWN, eagle standing facing on harpe, wings spread, head turned right, goat in ex; rare;
Aegeae issued tetradrachms only during the reigns of Hadrian and Caracalla. The issues were probably related to visits of these emperors to the town or to its famous sanctuary of Asclepius. -- The Syro-Phoenician Tetradrachms and Their Fractions from 57 BC to AD 253 by Michel and Karin Prieur
ex FORVM
dealer's pictureareich
|
|
Crispus AE3. CRISPVS-NOB CAES, laureate head right
CAESARVM NOSTRORVM around VOT X within wreath. branchleft left and branchright right in wreath.
Mintmark: RS. Mint of Rome (2nd officina), 322 AD. RIC VII Rome 246 Rare (R2)James b4
|
|
Obverse: DN IVSTINVS PP AVG (or similar) Justin, on L., and Sophia, on r., seated facing on double throne, both nimbate; he holds gl. cr., she holds cruciform sceptre; rarely with cross between heads.
Reverse: Large M between ANNP and regnal year (G,I) yr 7, cross above, officina letter "deta" below, In ex. CON.
Date: 569/70 CE
Mint: constantinople
Sear 360 DO 22-43
29mm 14.91 gmwileyc
|
|
Postumus, Principal Mint, double sestertius
IMP C M CASS LAT POSTVMVS P F AVG, Radiate, helmeted and cuirassed bust right
VICTORIA AVG, Victory advancing left, spurning captive
Weight 20.07g
A very rare obverse type - this coin from the same obverse die as the examples illustrated in BastienAdrianus
|
|
Postumus, Principal Mint, sestertius, 260
IMP C M CASS LAT POST[...],Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
SALVS AVG, Salus standing right, feeding snake held in arms
Weight 15.49g
A very rare early issue with Postumus' full name given on the obverse - normally this only occurs on radiate double-sestertii. This is struck from the same obverse die as a gold medallion in Paris with a SALVS PROVINCIARVM reverse. Adrianus
|
|
AE sestertius. Struck under Claudius, circa 50-54 AD, uncertain eastern provincial mint located in the modern-day Balkans.
Obv : TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG F BRITANNICVS, draped bust left.
Rev : - No legend, Mars advancing left, holding spear and shield, SC in fields. 35mm, 19.4g. Extremely Rare.
Ref : BMCRE 226
Cohen 2
RCV 1908, valued at $32,000 in Fine, which is a few multiples greater than any other sestertius issued during the several centuries the denomination was in use.
A large number of the surviving examples of this series (one may even suggest a majority of them), due to their rarity, have been subjected to modern alteration techniques such as smoothing, tooling, and repatination. As such, it's actually pleasant to see a bit of field roughness and a 'plain brown' patina of old copper on this example, evidence that it is just as ugly as it was the day it was last used in circulation back in Ancient Rome.
Britannicus, originally known as Germanicus after Claudius' older brother, was the emperor's original intended heir and natural son. Machinations by Agrippina II eventually saw Britannicus supplanted by her own son Nero, (by Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus) who took the throne upon Claudius' suspicious death. Britannicus himself died a few years later, reportedly poisoned by his step-brother. The future emperor Titus and Britannicus were close friends, and Titus became quite ill and nearly died after eating from the same poisoned dish that killed Britannicus.R. Smits
|
|
Abbasid Governors, anonymous, AE fals (21mm, 3.71gm, 11h), Halab, AH 136. O: Kalima; below, large pellet left and annulet right; in margin, mint and date formula. R: At center, Kalima continued; in margin, Qur'an 9:33. Ilisch (1996) Resafa IV, p. 117, 221 (dated xx6); cf. ibid. 220 (dated 135) and 222 (date illegible, either 135 or 136); see also Nützel (1898) Berlin 2074 (dated 135 but mint illegible) and Shamma p. 89, 3 (dated xx5). Very Fine and extremely rare, olive green patina with areas of red sand encrustation. Date full and clear. Mint missing but clearly style of Halab, AH 135 and 136.Quant.Geek
|
|
SICILY: Guglielmo I, 1154-1166, AV tari (1.04g), NM, AH549, Spahr-88, rare with legible date, ruler cited as al-malik ghulyalim al-hadi bi-amr AllahQuant.Geek
|
|
AE 3; 20mm, struck c. 319 AD
Con/ VF; brown patina.
Obv/ LICINIVS IVN NOB CAES; laur., dr. and cuir. bust r.
Rev/ VICTORIAE LAETAE PRINC PERP; two Victories stg. facing each other, together holding a shield inscribed VOT PR on an altar inscribed with the letter S. Gamma SIS pellet in exergue.
Ref/ RIC VII 70 = Rare 3Mayadigger
|
|
Justinian I. 527-565. Æ Decanummium (17mm, 3.46 g, 6h). Uncertain mint, possibly Perugia. Dated RY 26 (552/3). Diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right / Large I; cross above, date across field; P. DOC 357; MIBE 101a; SB 328. VF, dark green patina, minor roughness. Rare.
Quant.Geek
|
|
John Comnenus-Ducas. As emperor of Thessalonica, 1237-1242. BI Trachy (14mm, 0.38 g, 6h). Thessalonica mint. Facing bust of Christ Pantokrator / Facing busts John and St. Demetrius, holding patriarchal cross between them. DOC –; SB –; NAC 56, lot 830 (hammer 800 CHF). VF, dark green patina, obverse struck with worn die, ragged flan. Extremely rare.
From the Iconodule Collection.Quant.Geek
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Philip II. AD 247-249. AR Antoninianus (22mm, 5.26 g, 12h). Ludi Saeculares (Secular Games) issue, commemorating the 1000th anniversary of Rome. Rome mint, 3rd officina. 9th emission, AD 248. Radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / Goat walking right; III. RIC IV 224 var. (goat left); RSC 72 var. (same). Toned. Good VF. Extremely rare variety, none in CoinArchives.
paul1888
|
|
EGYPT. Alexandria. Domitian, 81-96. Diobol
(25 mm, 7.42 g, 11 h),
Obv: RY 10 = 90/1. [ΑΥΤ] ΚΑΙϹΑΡ ΔΟΜΙΤ [ϹЄΒ ΓЄΡΜ] Laureate head of Domitian to right, with aegis on his left shoulder.
Rev: L I Agathodaemon serpent riding horse to right.
Dattari (Savio) 563. Emmett 276.10. K&G 24.110. RPC II 2584A.
Extremely rare. Somewhat porous and with light deposits, otherwise, good fine.
From a European collection, formed before 2005.
Leu Numismatic Web auction 17 Lot 2103 Sunday August 15, 2021
I was first made aware of this coin a few years ago. Ever since, I have trying to grab one when they come up at auctions. The problem is 2-fold. First, it is a rare type. If the attribution of RPC 2854A is correct, it is even rarer than RPC 2854 which is on its own a rare coin. RPC online has my coin as RPC 2854 but I am not sure they are correct. The presence or absence of Aegis on the bust seems to be the key factor in differentiating these types.
I have found that I am attracted to the Alexandrian bronzes struck for Domitian. So many of the Egyptian themed coins are interesting and are a real departure from the reverses of the imperial coinage from the same time period.
Rarity aside it is the reverse of this coin that really shines. A coin that depicts a snake riding a horse? Yes, I will take one of those please. The reverse is so interesting that there is more demand for this type than the current supply. I consider myself lucky to add this fascinating type to my collection.
From the auction description: “According to Emmett, the reverse of this interesting issue is connected to the grain harvest. The horse represents the continuous cycle of the seasons, while Agathodaemon ensures that the grain will sprout, thus ensuring Egypt's prosperity.”
orfew
|
|
Philip I Arabs, 244-249. Dupondius 248, Rome, on the city's 1000th anniversary. Bust / cippus. RIC 162 C. 197 10.14 g. Dark brown patina, rare good Very nice
Ex auction Leu 10, 1974, 319 (hammer price: 1700 CHF).
While Claudius (47) and Antoninus Pius (147) used the founding date of 753 B.C. As a basis, Philippus Arabs assumed the Capitoline era, which began a year later. The boundary stone (cippus terminalis) is used in Roman iconography to mark the beginning and end.paul1888
|
|
Caracalla, RIC 311d, Date 213-217 AD, Silver Antoninianus Rome, VENVS VICTRIX (with Helmet)
Marcus Aurelius Severus Antoninus Caracalla
Antoninianus of the Roman Imperial Period 213/217 AD
Material: Silver
Diameter: 23mm
Weight: 5.19g
Mint: Rome
Reference: RIC IV Caracalla 311d var. (Rare, with Helmet)
Provenance: Ex Dr. Gernot Heinrich Collection
This ist the RIC 311d Version with Helmet under the shield. An fantastic Antoninianus with many details on obverse and reverse, fantastic Caracalla bust and a clear reverse Venus. Rare RIC, and more Rare in this condition.
Obverse:
You can see the right-facing bust of Caracalla with a radiant crown. The inscription reads: ANTONINVS PIVS AVG GERM for Antoninus Pius Augustus Germanicus.
Reverse:
The goddess Venus can be seen standing to the left, leaning on a shield. In her left hand she holds a Victoriola, in her right hand a spear. Standing, she leans on her shield and helmet. The inscription reads: VENVS VICTRIX for Venus Victrix (the victorious Venus).
Comments:
In ancient Rome, Venus Victrix is the form of the goddess Venus as victor or „as the one who brings victory“. Especially Pompeius Magnus celebrated his military successes in their honor. This was probably inspired by the armed Aphrodite (nikephoros carrying victory) who protected the Acropolis in certain eastern regions of ancient Greece. In Rome, the victorious Venus was mainly in the third century BC increasingly invoked in the wars against Carthage. Iulius Caesar traced the descent of his family and thus his own from Venus (Venus Genitrix). Pompey, as his adversary, identified his glorious destiny with Venus Victrix in order to claim Venus‘ protection in the secret rivalry. After his victory in the war against Mithridates in 55 BC Pompeius celebrated his triumph „de orbi universo“ (over the whole world) and had a temple built for the victorious Venus, which unfortunately has not been preserved. The sanctuary of Venus Victrix stood on the Capitol, which was probably built during the war against the Samnites. Her feast days were August 12 and October 9, with an annual sacrifice being made on the latter date. At the same time, homage was also paid to Victoria, who closely connected the Romans with Venus Victrix.
Associating this type of coin directly with a specific historical event in the reign of Caracalla is difficult. This Antoninianus is between 213 and 217 AD dated. He could therefore retrospectively refer to the victories in the Germania campaign in 213 AD relate to the battles in Dacia against the Carps in 214 AD refer to or anticipate „the-victorious“ Venus Victrix to refer to the coming eastern campaign against the Parthians.paul1888
|
|
INDIA, Post-Gupta (Deccan). Uncertain. Circa 6th century. AE (Bronze, 14 mm, 2.00 g), Vishnukundin style, Vidarbha. PAKA (in Brahmi) Bull standing to right. Rev. Conch between two standards. Pieper 763. Very rare. Very fineQuant.Geek
|
|
INDIA, Post-Mauryan (Deccan). Kuras of Kolhapur and Belgaum. Vasisthiputra Kura, circa 30 BC-AD 65/70. Unit (Lead, 30 mm, 16.53 g). RANO VASITHIPUTASA KURASA (in Brahmi) Bow with arrow. Rev. Tree in railing; to left, hill; to right, Indradhvaja. Pieper 615. Very rare. Good fine.
Quant.Geek
|
|
INDIA, Post-Mauryan (Deccan). Ishvakus. Mathariputra Sri Vira Purishadatta, circa 250-270. Unit (Lead, 15 mm, 3.31 g). SIRI VIRA (in Brahmi) Elephant with raised trunk standing to right. Rev. Four-orbed Ujjain Symbol. Pieper 723. Rare and unusually attractive. Minor deposits, otherwise, very fine.
Quant.Geek
|
|
YAUDHEYA: 1st century AD, AE small unit (1.93g), Pieper-1617, six-headed goddess Shashthi (consort of Karttikeya) standing facing, 6-arch hill & nandipada to left, railed tree right // Karttikeya standing, holding a scepter, Brahmi legend around, superb example of this very rare type. Interesting example that incorporated the 6-arch hill and nandipada from contemporary issues of Kuninda. Quant.Geek
|
|
ROMAN EMPIRE: Otacilia Severa, 244-249, AE dupondius (10.33g), Rome, RIC-202d, wife of Philip I, OTACIL SEVERA AVG, diademed, draped bust right on crescent // SAECVLARES AVGG / S - C (in field), Cippus
EX: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Auction 28, May 18, 2017, lot 62paul1888
|
|
20mm, 7.87 g, 5h
Rider on horseback l., holding shield.
Rev. Phalanthos, holding torch, seated on dolphin l.; below, retrograde Σ / ΤΑΡΑΣ.
Vlasto 312. SNG ANS 874 (these dies). Fischer-Bossert 337f.
Rare. Struck on a very broad flan and with an attractive old cabinet tone.
Light graffito on reverse, otherwise good very fine.Leo
|
|
JUSTINIAN I, AR 250 Nummi, struck 540 - 542 at RavennaObverse: D N IVSTINIANVS P P AVG. Diademed bust of Justinian I, wearing imperial mantle, facing right.
Reverse: Large CN (= 250 Nummi) within wreath.
Diameter: 14mm | Weight: 1.07gms | Die Axis: 6
SBCV: 313 | DOC: 334a
RARE
The Ravenna mint was active from the conquest of the city by Belisarius in 540 until the fall of the Exarchate of Ravenna to the Lombards in 751.*Alex
|
|
HADRIAN. AR (Billon) Tetradrachm struck AD 136 - 137 at AlexandriaObverse: AVT KAIC TPA AΔPIANOC CEB. Laureate head of Hadrian facing left.
Reverse: No legend. Demeter, wearing long chiton, standing facing left, holding poppies and grain ears in her right hand and long torch in her left. In field, L K A (= regnal year 21 = A.D.136-137).
Diameter: 24mm | Weight: 12.1gms | Die Axis: 12
Milne : 1518 | Emmett : 832 (var) | Dattari : 1336 | Geissen : 1210
RARE*Alex
|
|
JUSTINIAN I, AR 120 Nummi, struck 552 - 565 at Rome or RavennaObverse: D N IVSTINIANVS P P AVG Diademed bust of Justinian I facing right, wearing robe ornamented with a row of pellets.
Reverse: Large P•K enclosed within wreath.
Diameter: 11mm | Weight: 0.67gms | Die Axis: 6
SBCV: 317 (Rome) | DOC: 336.3 (Ravenna) | MIB: 76 (Rome) | Ranieri: 355 (Ravenna)
Very Rare
In 552 the Byzantine general Narses crossed the Apennines with an army of around 25,000 men and marched on Rome only to find himself blocked by a Gothic force, under their king Totila, near Taginae in central Italy. However, Narses deployed his army in the form of a crescent in a narrow mountain valley with his dismounted cavalry mercenaries placed as a phalanx in the centre and his flanks protected by a mixed force of archers he had sent to seize the dominant heights. The Goths opened the battle with a determined cavalry charge but were halted by the enfilading fire from both sides and fell back in disarray on to the Byzantine infantry which had curved round behind them. The Byzantine cataphracts then swept into the confused Gothic mass and more than 6,000 Goths, including their leader Totila, were killed. The remnants of the Gothic army fled and Narses proceeded to Rome, capturing the city after a brief siege. The following year Narses ambushed a combined Gothic force under King Teia and his brother Aligern. The Gothic force was crushed in a hopeless last stand south of Naples, Teia was killed in the fighting and, though Aligern escaped the battle, he surrendered a few months later, so ending the Ostrogothic Kingdom in Italy after 60 years of rule.*Alex
|
|
JUSTINIAN I, AR Siliqua or Half-Siliqua, struck 537 - 552 at CarthageObverse: D N IVSTINIANVS P P AV. Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust of Justinian I facing right.
Reverse: Monogram, cross above, S below, within circle, all encircled by wreath. (SBCV Monogram 3)
Diameter: 13mm | Weight: 1.17gms | Die Axis: 6
SBCV: 254 (Siliqua) | Sommer 4.119
Scratched obverse. Not in DOC.
RARE
The monogram on the reverse of this coin was originally interpreted as being that of the Ostrogothic queen Mathasunta (cf. BMC 80, 1). However, a later re-interpretation by Wolfgang Hahn (MIB) attributed this issue as being a regular African Imperial issue of Justinian, and this is the attribution that was adopted by SBCV.
On September the 15th 533 Justinian's army, led by Belisarius, entered the city of Carthage and brought it back into the Roman Empire after 98 years of Vandal rule. In March 534 the Vandal king Gelimer surrendered to Belisarius ending the Vandal kingdom and returning the African provinces to the empire. Large numbers of captured Vandals were transported to Constantinople and in April Belisarius returned there too and was permitted by Justinian I to celebrate a triumph, the first non-imperial triumph for over 500 years.*Alex
|
|
JUSTINIAN I, AR Anonymous Third-Siliqua, struck after 530 at ConstantinopleObverse: No legend. Helmeted and draped bust of Roma, seen from front, facing right.
Reverse: Large P (Rho) within pelleted circle.
Diameter: 10mm | Weight: 0.63gms | Die Axis: 2
Cf. Bendall, Anonymous, 7,15.
Not in SBCV or DOC
Very Rare
Bendall observed that the issue which he designated as Type 7 could hardly be an issue of 330 as it is stylistically quite unlike his Type 2 issue, but it is far superior to Type 9 (and with a different reverse). Thus he thought it might possibly have been a rare commemorative issue which, along with Type 8a, was struck for the centennial of the foundation of Constantinople in c.430. However, the style and lower weight of this particular coin suggests it was probably struck at a later date than 430. This could be in accordance with the similar example of Bendall's type 8, which he breaks into two subtypes, 8a and 8b, struck circa 430 and 530, respectively. It is possible that this coin may represent a hitherto unrecorded reissue of Bendall's type 7, struck around the same time as the revival of his type 8, arguably to celebrate Justinian’s re-conquest of Rome from Ostrogothic occupation in December 536. The rarity of this enigmatic coin would seem to suggest that this issue was likely struck on only one occasion, possibly in late 536 to 537.
*Alex
|
|
Time of Alexander I, AR Hemiobol, struck 470 - 460 BC at Argilos in MacedoniaObverse: No legend. Forepart of Pegasos facing left.
Reverse: No legend. Quadripartite granulated incuse square.
Diameter: 8.78mm | Weight: 0.20gms | Die Axis: Uncertain
Liampi 118 | SNG - | GCV -
Rare
Argilos was a city of ancient Macedonia founded by a colony of Greeks from Andros. Although little information is known about the city until about 480 BC, the literary tradition dates the foundation to around 655/654 BC which makes Argilos the earliest Greek colony on the Thracian coast. It appears from Herodotus to have been a little to the right of the route the army of Xerxes I took during its invasion of Greece in 480 BC in the Greco-Persian Wars. Its territory must have extended as far as the right bank of the Strymona, since the mountain of Kerdylion belonged to the city.
Argilos benefited from the trading activities along the Strymona and probably also from the gold mines of the Pangeion. Ancient authors rarely mention the site, but nevertheless shed some light on the important periods of its history. In the last quarter of the 6th century BC, Argilos founded two colonies, Tragilos, in the Thracian heartland, and Kerdilion, a few kilometers to the east of the city.
Alexander I was the ruler of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia from c.498 BC until his death in 454 BC. Alexander came to the throne during the era of the kingdom's vassalage to Persia, dating back to the time of his father, Amyntas I. Although Macedonia retained a broad scope of autonomy, in 492 BC it was made a fully subordinate part of the Persian Empire. Alexander I acted as a representative of the Persian governor Mardonius during peace negotiations after the Persian defeat at the Battle of Salamis in 480 BC. From the time of Mardonius' conquest of Macedonia, Herodotus disparagingly refers to Alexander I as “hyparchos”, meaning viceroy. However, despite his cooperation with Persia, Alexander frequently gave supplies and advice to the Greek city states, and warned them of the Persian plans before the Battle of Plataea in 479 BC. After their defeat at Plataea, when the Persian army under the command of Artabazus tried to retreat all the way back to Asia Minor, most of the 43,000 survivors of the battle were attacked and killed by the forces of Alexander at the estuary of the Strymona river.
Alexander regained Macedonian independence after the end of the Persian Wars and was given the title "philhellene" by the Athenians, a title used for Greek patriots.
After the Persian defeat, Argilos became a member of the first Athenian confederation but the foundation of Amphipolis in 437 BC, which took control of the trade along the Strymona, brought an end to this. Thucydides tells us that some Argilians took part in this foundation but that the relations between the two cities quickly deteriorated and, during the Peloponnesian war, the Argilians joined with the Spartan general Brasidas to attack Amphipolis. An inscription from the temple of Asklepios in Epidauros attests that Argilos was an independent city during the 4th century.
Like other colonies in the area, Argilos was conquered by the Macedonian king Philip II in 357 B.C. Historians believe that the city was then abandoned and, though excavations have brought to light an important agricultural settlement on the acropolis dated to the years 350-200 BC, no Roman or Byzantine ruins have been uncovered there.*Alex
|
|
2nd - 1st Century BC, IRON AGE BRITAIN, Tribe: Cantii, AE Potin, Minted between 100 and 30 BCObverse: No legend. Crude outline of head facing right; pellet within circle in centre.
Reverse: No legend. Crude lines representing a bull facing left, crescents above.
Flat Linear type, Class 1
Found, Thames Valley region, England
Diameter: 17mm | Weight: 1.9gms | Axis: 3h
BMC: 667-714 | SPINK: 63
The Cantii produced the first coins to be actually made in Britain.
These coins were cast in strips which were then cut into separate coins and as a result often retain characteristic cut edges from the runlets which joined them together.
THE CANTII (or Cantiaci)
The Cantii (after whom Kent and Canterbury are named) were the major tribal group in the South East region of England, bordered by the Atrebates, Regni and Catuvellauni.
This region was heavily influenced by continental cultures on the periphery of the early Roman world and this resulted in the Cantii producing the first coins actually made in Britain. These are known as “potins” and they were produced between the mid 2nd to the mid 1st century BC. The earliest versions are known as Kentish Primary, or Thurrock, types. Comparatively the later types, like those from the recently discovered Hillingdon Hoard, are of the “flat linear” type, which uses simplified and abstracted images. Similar coins from the late Iron Age have been found, but in much smaller quantities.
The word “potin” is of French origin and is used to describe these early coins which were cast in clay moulds from a copper alloy with a high tin content. They would have been shiny and silver-coloured when new, and though occasionally examples have turned up which retain this colouration, most coins by the time they get dug up have a characteristic black patina from tin oxidation. These were cast in strips which were then cut into separate coins and as a result often retain characteristic cut edges from the runlets which joined them together. The moulds themselves were made using “master” matrices of copper alloy which were cast with the design for one side of a coin in high relief and pressed into the clay. A rare example of a mould of this type was found a few miles west of the Surrey border in Hampshire.
The designs of the majority of potins found in England derive ultimately from coins produced in the Greek colonial Mediterranean city of Massalia (modern Marseilles) in southern Gaul in the late 4th century BC. These coins featured a head of Apollo on the obverse and a charging bull on the reverse. They were originally imported from the continent and later locally copied in the mid 2nd century BC, in the form of what are known as “Thurrock” types, which adhere closely to the original design. Later forms, known as “flat linear” types, greatly simplified this design into deep abstraction, ultimately reducing the head of Apollo to an outline and the bull to a trapezoidal arrangement of lines
We don’t know what these coins were called by the people who made them, or what they were worth in fiscal terms, but they are generally only found in south east England, which probably reflects the limits of the political and economic influence of the Cantii themselves. It isn't even clear what the role of these Iron Age coins actually was, though it is likely that they assisted in the maintenance of some kind of social power structure. Coins were not generally used as day to day currency by the people of Britain in the 1st and 2nd centuries BC, so apart from any monetary transactions, their range of uses probably included the storage of wealth, use as political tribute, and / or votive objects used as offerings to the gods.
CLICK ON MAP BELOW TO ENLARGE IT
 *Alex
|
|
JUSTIN I and JUSTINIAN I as joint Emperors, AE Follis (40 Nummi), struck 4th April - 1st August 527 at ConstantinopleObverse: D N IVSTIN Є IVSTINIAN P AV. Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust of Justin I, star on shoulder, facing right.
Reverse: Large M, cross above and officina letter (B = 2nd Officina) below, star to left of M, cross to right; in exergue, CON
Diameter: 30mm | Weight: 14gms | Die Axis: 6
SBCV: 125 (var) | DOC: 10.-
RARE
Justin I's health slowly declined in his old age and, on the first of April 527, he formally named his nephew Justinian as co-emperor and his successor. Justin only lived for a few more months and, when he died at the age of 77 on the first of August, Justinian smoothly succeeded him.
*Alex
|
|
Perdikkas II, 451 - 413 BC. AR Heavy Tetrobol, struck 437 - 431 BC at Aigai in MacedoniaObverse: No legend. Rider, wearing chlamys and kausia (an ancient Macedonian flat hat, also called a petasos), holding two spears on horse prancing right.
Reverse: No legend. Forepart of lion with straight lined truncation facing right, both paws visible; kerykeion (caduceus), placed horizontally, in left field above, all within incuse square.
Diameter: 15mm | Weight: 2.1gms | Die Axis: 6h
Sear GCV: 1491
Grainy surfaces | Rare (R2)
Perdikkas II features prominently in Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War, in which he is described as switching sides between the Peloponnesians and the Athenians several times.
The lion on the reverse of this coin alludes to the Nemean lion killed by Herakles who was claimed to be the ancestor of Perdikkas.
Perdikkas II was a member of the Argead dynasty which would rule Macedonia for almost 400 years.
The founder of the dynasty, Perdikkas I, had led the people who called themselves Macedonians eastward from their home on the Haliacmon River around 700 BC. Aegae (Edessa) became their capital, and by the reign of Amyntas I in the 6th century BC, Macedonian power dominated the neighbouring Thracian tribes and when Amyntas’ successor, Alexander I advanced the Macedonian frontiers eastward to the Strymon River their power was further increased.
After the death of Alexander I in 454, Macedonia began to fall apart, but around 450 BC Perdikkas II, who was Alexander I's son, came to the throne after having asserted his succession against his brothers. Perdikkas had four brothers, Alcetas II, Philip, Menelaus and Amyntas, he also had a sister, Stratonice. Alcetas II preceded him on the throne until he was murdered by Perdikkas' son Archelaus I resulting in Perdikkas' elevation to the throne. During his reign Perdikkas united the Greek cities of Chalcidice in a federation centred on the city of Olynthus.
Perdikkas II died in 413 BC leaving his son Archelaus as heir to the throne. Archelaus adopted a strongly philhellenic policy and introduced Greek artists to his new capital at Pella. He strengthened Macedonia by building roads and fortresses, improved army equipment, and encouraged city life. However, following his assassination in 399 BC, there was seven years of murder and anarchy until finally, around 393 BC, Amyntas III, a great-grandson of Alexander I, took the throne and, although his reign was filled with anarchy and intrigue, he successfully brought unity to Macedonia.
Aigai (also Aegae, Aegeae or Aigeai) was the original capital of the Macedonians and it was also the burial-place of the Macedonian kings. It was built on a site near the modern town of Vergina.*Alex
|
|
PHILIP II as Caesar. AE Tetradrachm struck AD 246 at AlexandriaObverse: M IOV ΦIΛIΠΠOC K CEB. Bare headed and draped bust of Philip II facing right.
Reverse: No legend. Asklepios standing facing left, sacrificing over flaming and garlanded altar out of patera held in his right hand and holding staff, around which a serpent coils, in his left; in left field, LΓ (= regnal year 3 0f Philip I = A.D.245 - 246).
Diameter: 23mm | Weight: 11.9gms | Die Axis: 12
Not in GICV
VERY RARE
*Alex
|
|
1st Century BC - 1st Century CE, IRON AGE BRITAIN, Tribe: Catuvellauni, AE Unit, Struck c.25BC – 10CE at Verlamion (St. Albans) under TasciovanusObverse: Bearded head facing right; VER anti-clockwise in front.
Reverse: Horse with sea horse tail facing left; pellet in ring, and trefoil motif above; VER below.
Diameter: 15.2mm | Weight: 1.97gms | Axis: 3h
SPINK: 243 | BMC 1714-21 | ABC 2658
RARE
CATUVELLAUNI
The Catuvellauni were an Iron Age Celtic tribe in Britain before the Roman conquest, attested by inscriptions into the 4th century. They are mentioned by Cassius Dio, who implies that they led the resistance against the conquest in 43CE. They appear as one of the “Civitates” of Roman Britain in Ptolemy's “Geography” in the 2nd century, occupying the town of Verlamion (Roman Verulamium, modern St.Albans) and the surrounding areas of Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and southern Cambridgeshire. Their territory was bordered to the north by the Iceni and Corieltauvi, to the east by the Trinovantes, to the west by the Dobunni and to the south by the Atrebates, Regni and Cantii.
TASCIOVANUS
Tasciovanus appears to have become king of the Catuvellauni around 20 BC, before the Roman conquest of Britain. Ruling from Verlamion (St.Albans), for a brief period around 15–10 BC, he issued coins from Camulodunum (Colchester), apparently supplanting Addedomarus of the Trinovantes, but it appears that following the arrival of Augustus in Gaul he withdrew and again issued his coins from Verlamion.
Tasciovanus was the first Catuvellaunian king to issue inscribed coins, bearing “VER”, mint marks for Verlamion. He was also the first to renew hostilities towards the Trinovantes, flouting the long-standing agreement between Caesar and his own grandfather Cassivellaunus.
Tasciovanus died around AD 9 and was succeeded by his son Cunobelinus, who ruled primarily from Camulodunum.
CLICK ON MAP BELOW TO ENLARGE IT
*Alex
|
|
1st Century BC - 1st Century CE, IRON AGE BRITAIN, Tribe: Dobunni, AR Unit, uninscribed seriesObverse: Degraded Celtic “Moon Head” facing right, pellets/symbols in front.
Reverse: Celticised triple tailed horse galloping left; cross above, pellets around.
Diameter: 13.0mm | Weight: 0.67gms | Axis: 3h
SPINK: 377 | ABC 2024
RARE
THE DOBUNNI
The Dobunni were one of the few Iron Age tribes which issued coins before the arrival of the Romans. Their territory covered an area that today broadly coincides with the English counties of Bristol, Gloucestershire and the north of Somerset, although at times their territory may have extended into parts of what are now Herefordshire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Worcestershire, and Warwickshire.
Remnants of several hillforts thought to have been occupied by the Dobunni can be seen in the Bristol area at Maes Knoll, Clifton Down, Burwalls and Stokeleigh, all overlooking the Avon Gorge, as well as at Kingsweston Down and Blaise Castle.
Unlike their neighbours, such as the Silures in what later became south-east Wales, the Dobunni were not a warlike people, being primarily a large group of farmers and craftspeople living in small villages. They submitted to the Romans even before they reached their territory, and after the Roman conquest they readily adopted a Romano-British lifestyle. The Romans gave the Dobunni capital the name of Corinium Dobunnorum, which is known as Cirencester today.
CLICK ON MAP BELOW TO ENLARGE IT
 *Alex
|
|
1st Century BC - 1st Century CE, IRON AGE BRITAIN, Tribe: Trinovantes, AE Unit, Struck c.10 BC – 10 CE in Camulodunum(?) in Essex under DubnovellaunusObverse: Head facing right, hair(?) lines on head divided by clear centre parting.
Reverse: Horse prancing left; complex pellets and circles above and below.
Diameter: 13.5mm | Weight: 1.61gms | Axis: 3h
SPINK: -- | BMC -- | ABC 2413
VERY RARE
Very rare uninscribed bronze unit of Dubnovellaunus found in Essex. The type is designated as a “Dubnovellaunus Centre Parting” bronze unit in ABC (Ancient British Coins), and to date (January, 2023) it is unlisted in any other major reference works.
DUBNOVELLAUNUS
It is generally thought that Dubnovellaunus succeeded his father Addedomarus as king of the Trinovantes somewhere around 10-5 BC and ruled for several years before being supplanted by Cunobelinus of the Catuvellauni.
In the Res Gestae Divi Augusti, a British king called Dumnovellaunus appears, alongside Tincomarus of the Atrebates, as a supplicant to Augustus in around AD 7 and, given the chronology, it is indeed possible that Dubnovellaunus of the Trinovantes is the same person as the Dumnovellaunus who presented himself to Augustus. The spelling variation is due to a Celtic, rather than a Latin, interpretation of the ruler's name.
It is worth mentioning that the authors of ABC (Ancient British Coins) also think that Dubnovellaunus of the Trinovantes could possibly be the same individual as the Dumnovellaunus who ruled in Kent in the 30s - 20s BC, they suggest that he could have been a Cantian king who later gained control over the southern part of the Trinovantes and that therefore he might have ruled both territories north and south of the Thames estuary for a few years. It should be noted however, that Van Arsdell, an authority on the Celtic Coinage of Britain, emphatically disputes this.
TRINOVANTES
The Trinovantes were one of the Iron Age Celtic tribes of Pre-Roman Britain. Their territory was on the north side of the Thames estuary in the present day counties of Essex, Hertfordshire and Suffolk, and also included lands now located in Greater London. They were bordered to the north by the Iceni, and to the west by the Catuvellauni. Their capital was Camulodunum (modern Colchester).
Shortly before Julius Caesar's invasion of Britain in 55 and 54 BC, the Trinovantes were considered the most powerful tribe in Britain. At this time their capital was probably at Braughing (in modern-day Hertfordshire). In some copies of Caesar's Gallic War their king is referred to as Imanuentius, although no name is given in other copies which have come down to us. That said however, it seems that this king was overthrown by Cassivellaunus, king of the Catuvellauni, some time before Caesar's second expedition and that Imanuentius' son, Mandubracius, fled to the protection of Caesar in Gaul. During his second expedition Caesar defeated Cassivellaunus and restored Mandubracius to the kingship. Cassivellaunus agreed to pay tribute and also undertook not to attack him again.
The next identifiable king of the Trinovantes, known from numismatic evidence, was Addedomarus, who took power around 20 – 15 BCE, and moved the tribe's capital to Camulodunum. For a brief period, around 10 BCE, Tasciovanus of the Catuvellauni issued coins from Camulodunum, suggesting that he must have conquered the Trinovantes, but he was soon forced to withdraw, perhaps as a result of pressure from the Romans. Addedomarus was restored and Tasciovanus' later coins no longer bear the mark “REX”. Addedomarus was briefly succeeded by his son Dubnovellaunus, around 10 to 5 BCE, but a few years later the tribe was conquered by either Tasciovanus or his son Cunobelinus.
The Trinovantes do not appear in history again until their participation in Boudica's revolt against the Romans in 60 CE. After that though they seem to have embraced the Romanisation of Britain and their name was later given to one of the “civitates” of Roman Britain, whose chief town was Caesaromagus (modern Chelmsford in Essex).
CLICK ON MAP BELOW TO ENLARGE IT
*Alex
|
|
Constantine the Great, RIC VII 73 Siscia, 319 CEObverse: IMP CONSTANTINVS PF AVG, laureate helmet & cuirassed.
Reverse:VICTORIAE LAETAE PRINC PERP [ Joyous victory to the eternal
Prince] two Victories standing, facing one another, together holding shield
inscribed VOT PR [VOTA POPULI ROMANI (vows of the Roman people)]on altar.
gamma SIS dot in ex. RIC VII Siscia 73, 18.9 mm 2.6 g. rare
NORMAN K
|
|
JUSTINIAN I, AE Half-Follis (20 Nummi), struck 527 – 528 at AntiochObverse: D N IVSTINIANVS P P AVG. Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust of Justinian I facing right.
Reverse: Large K, Large latin cross to left dividing letters A–N / T–X; officina letter to right of K (Γ = third officina).
Diameter: 28mm | Weight: 5.8gms | Die Axis: 12
SBCV: 224a | Not in DOC
Rare
This coin was struck prior to Antioch being renamed Theoupolis following the great earthquake that virtually destroyed the city on 29th November 528.
527: One of Justinian's first acts as sole emperor was to reorganise the command structure of the Byzantine army. He appointed Belisarius to command the Eastern army in Armenia and on the Byzantine-Persian frontier.
528: In February of this year Justinian appointed a commission to codify all the laws of the Roman Empire that were still in force from Hadrian to the current date. This Code of Civil Laws came to be called the Codex Justinianus.
On November 29th a great earthquake struck Antioch, killing thousands and destroying much of the city including the Domus Aurea (Great Church) built by Constantine the Great.*Alex
|
|
JUSTINIAN I, AE Half-Follis (20 Nummi), struck 529 – 533 at Antioch (Theoupolis)Obverse: D N IVSTINIANVS P P AVG. Justinian I enthroned facing, holding long sceptre in his right hand and globus cruciger in his left.
Reverse: Large K, Large latin cross to left dividing letters T–H/Є–U/O/P; officina letter to right of K (Δ = fourth officina).
Diameter: 28mm | Weight: 8.4gms | Die Axis: 11
SBCV: 225 | DOC: 208.6
Rare
Much of Antioch was destroyed by a great earthquake on 29th November 528 and, following this disaster, the city was renamed Theoupolis.
530: In the spring of this year Belisarius and Hermogenes (magister officiorum) defeated a combined Persian-Arab army of 50,000 men at the Battle of Dara in modern Turkey, and in the summer a Byzantine cavalry force under the command of Sittas defeated a major Persian invasion into Roman Armenia at the Battle of Satala.
531: On April 19th, at the Battle of Callinicum, a Byzantine army commanded by Belisarius, was defeated by the Persians at Raqqa in northern Syria. Nevertheless, Justinian negotiated an end to the hostilities and Belisarius was hailed as a hero.
532: On January 11th this year anger among the supporters of the most important chariot teams in Constantinople, the Blues and the Greens, escalated into violence towards the emperor. For the next five days the city was in chaos and the fires that started during the rioting resulted in the destruction of much of the city. This insurrection, known as the Nika riots, was put down a week later by Belisarius and Mundus resulting in 30,000 people being killed in the Hippodrome.
On February 23rd Justinian ordered the building of a new Christian basilica in Constantinople, the Hagia Sophia. More than 10,000 people were employed in the construction using material brought from all over the empire.
*Alex
|
|
2.5 Livia, Wife of AugustusJULIA AUGUSTA (LIVIA)
Cilicia
14-29 AD. Æ 23mm
Draped bust right / Tyche seated right, holding grain ears; river-god swimming right below.
RPC I 4013; SNG Levante 1238; SNG France -.
Rare. Only two specimens cited in RPC.
RI0041Sosius
|
|
4 CaligulaGaius Caligula. A.D. 37-41. AE quadrans. Rome mint, struck A.D. 41. Rare. Unlisted in RIC 2nd Edition. From the RJM Collection.
Gaius Caligula. A.D. 37-41. AE quadrans (17.79 mm, 3.20 g, 7 h). Rome mint, struck A.D. 41. C CAESAR DIVI AVG PRON AVG , legend around large S - C; Pileus or "Liberty Cap" between / PON M TR P IIII P P COS QVAT, legend around large RCC. RIC I unlisted; RIC I (1st edition) 41; BMCRE 79-80; BN 126-7. VF, rough, brown surfaces. Rare. Unlisted in RIC 2nd Edition.
From the RJM Collection.
Rare last year of issue, when Gaius was consol for the fourth time
Ex Agora Auctions, 5/9/2017Sosius
|
|
41 - 54, Claudius I, AE Dupondius, Irregular (barbarous) issue struck after 43AD in BritanniaObverse: Blundered legend. Bare head of Claudius I facing left.
Reverse: Blundered legend. Ceres, veiled, seated facing left, holding grain ears and long torch.
Diameter: 26mm | Weight: 9.5gms | Die Axis: 11h
SPINK: 745
Green Patina. Scarce. Found near Sleaford, Lincolnshire, UK
These irregular coins are associated with the Claudian invasion of Britain in 43AD. It appears likely that the authorities allowed them to be struck to augment the scanty supply of bronze from the central mint of Rome and the evidence available from museums and recorded in numismatic literature would seem to bear this out.
Although it is difficult to work out the proportion that these copies bear to the official issues on a national scale, it is quite evident that it is of a considerable size, about 20% on an average over the whole area in which Claudian coins are found, and in some localities well over 50%. When you consider that the actual area over which these coins are found exactly covers the areas of the first conquests, and there are no credible reasons for supposing them to be Gallic importations, the likelihood is that they were struck in Britain itself. Those barbarous examples found beyond the Fosse Way bear witness to the spread of the new coinage, and also to its continuance during the subsequent years of conquest..
The actual types found are equally strong evidence for the connection of these copies with the Claudian legions. Copies of Sestertii are rare, Dupondii less so, but the majority, about 70% of the Claudian copies found in England, are Asses.
Irregular issues of all the foregoing types are found in varying stages of degradation, ranging from coins which show all the detail, and much of the excellence of the official prototypes, down to rough unskilful productions of crude and barbarous style.
The majority of copies, particularly the good ones, have been found in or near the towns which were either administrative and/or military centres, such as Lincoln and Gloucester. This seems to indicate that the coining of irregular issues were, if not official, an acceptable method of supplementing the military funds to pay the troops during the conquest. The first generation copies, since they were intended for paying the soldiers, were fairly accurate in style and weight. In time though, once they had circulated through the tribal centres and the lands that lay between and behind the chief Roman military posts and been absorbed into currency, the copies would themselves be copied. These second-degree copies became proportionately less faithful to the originals and are extremely numerous at such tribal centres as Cirencester, Silchester, Winchester and Dorchester, which were civil, but not military, towns.*Alex
|
|
6 Nero AE AsNERO
AE As
NERO CAESAR AVG GERM IMP, laureate head right / PACE P R VBIQ PARTA IANVM CLVSIT S-C, the Temple of Janus, latticed window to l., garland hung across closed double doors on the right.
RIC 306, Sear5 #1974
On the rare occasions when Rome was not at war with a foreign enemy the doors of the 'Twin Janus' temple were ceremonially closed, an event which Nero commemorated extensively on the coinage of 65-67 A.D. -- David R. Sear, Roman Coins and Their Values, Vol 1
RI0042Sosius
|
|
7 GalbaGalba.
AD 68-69. Æ As (28mm, 10.30 g, 6h). Rome mint.
Struck circa August–October AD 68.
Laureate head left / Ceres seated left, holding grain ears and caduceus.
RIC I 324 var. (bust right); ACG –. Good Fine, brown patina, porous surfaces. Rare with bust left.
From the Dr. Robert A. Kilmarx Collection.
Ex CNG - Nov 2013Sosius
|
|
Alexander the Great, 336 - 323 BC. AE Tetartemorion (Dichalkon / Quarter Obol). Lifetime issue struck 336 - 323 BC at Amphipolis, Macedonia Obverse: No legend. Head of Herakles, wearing lion skin headdress, facing right.
Reverse: AΛEΞANΔPOY. Eagle facing right, it's head turned to left, standing on a thunderbolt; mint-mark, A in right field before the eagle's breast.
Diameter: 15mm | Weight: 3.9gms | Die Axis: 6
Sear: 6743 | Weber: 2142 | Liampi: 6-8 | Price: 0159
RARE
This coin is a Type 3 (eagle type) bronze Quarter-Obol (two chalkoi). Alexander's Eagle bronzes are part of his Eagle coinage that also includes various silver denominations, including a stater, drachm, hemidrachm, diobol, and obol. Alexander's Eagle coins are much rarer than his issues of Herakles and Zeus imperial silver coins and his Herakles and weapons bronze coins.
*Alex
|
|
JUSTINIAN I, AE Decanummium (10 Nummi), struck 539 – 565 at an uncertain mintObverse: D N IVSTINIANVS P P AVG. Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust of Justinian I facing right.
Reverse: Large X within wreath.
Diameter: 15mm | Weight: 2.01gms | Die Axis: 9
SBCV: 308A (Rome) | MIB: 244 (Sicily) | Not in DOC
Rare
The place of mintage for this coin is still uncertain, Sear considered it to have been struck at Rome whilst Hahn (MIB) proposed that it had been struck at an uncertain mint in Sicily.
*Alex
|
|
JUSTINIAN I, AE Octonummium (8 Nummi), struck 527 – 562 at ThessalonicaObverse: D N IVSTINIANVS P P AVG. Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust of Justinian I facing right.
Reverse: Large H between smaller A – (P) across field; cross between two stars (* + *) above.
Diameter: 17mm | Weight: 2.56gms | Die Axis: 6
SBCV: 192 | DOC: 100d
RARE
Regarding the letters AHP on the reverse of this coin, it is generally accepted that the "H" of the inscription equates to "8", a denomination used only at Thessalonica by Justinian. However the meaning of the letters A and P is still uncertain despite having been the subject of much scholarly debate.*Alex
|
|
Nero Billon Tetradrachm of Alexandria. Rare. unlisted typeRandygeki(h2)
|
|
Scipio AfricanusSCIPIO AFRICANUS
Æ15, Spain, Carthago Nova, (2.4g) c. 209 B.C.
Male Roman style head left, probably Scipio Africanus before he was given title Africanus / Horse head right
SNG Cop. 298, Lindgren Eur. Mints 6. Toynbee p. 18-19. VF, green patina, encrust.
This coin may be the earliest depiction of a living Roman. Carthago Nova also produced rare likely portraits of Hannibal.
RR0029Sosius
|
|
1 AnastasiusAnastasius
512-518 AD
AE Pentanummium of Antioch
O: Bust of Anastasius, r., cross above
R: Large E, AN within, A to right.
Sear 53A, VF, RareSosius
|
|
1 Claudius IICLAUDIUS II
AE Antoninianus
IMP CLAVDIVS AVG, Radiate, cuirassed bust (small) right / SPES AVG, Spes walking left, holding flower and hitching robe, II in left field
Cunetio hoard 2296, Normanby hoard 1086
aVF/F, RareSosius
|
|
1 Gordian IIIGordian III
AE of Nicea
O: M ANT GORDIANOC AVG, Radiate, draped bust r.
R: N-I-K-A-I, EWN in ex.; Two standards surmounted by capricorns between two standards
Rec. Gen 711
Rare. According to Dane Kurtz's list, copies include this coin, plus: "Geoff Hintze's collection, another sold on ebay in June 2006 by del550 (DRG Coins, England), another sold on ebay in Dec. 2008 by biggyg2"
Sosius
|
|
10 Vespasian AE As, 71 ADVESPASIAN
AE As. 71 AD.
O: IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG COS III, laureate head right
R: AEQVITAS AVGVSTI S-C, Aequitas standing left with scales & palm.
Cohen 19, RIC 290
Very Rare reverse with Aequitas holding palm, VF/aVF
RI0068Sosius
|
|
24 Septimius Severus Æ 18mm of Nikpolis ad IstrumSeptimius Severus
Æ 15.2mm of Nikpolis ad Istrum, 3.5g
AV KAI - CEVHROC, bust r. / NIKOPOLI - PROC ICT, Hermes standing left, wearing petasos, holding purse & caduceus.
AMNG I/1, 1373, rare
Thanks to FORVM members Steve Minnoch and Jochen for their help attributing this coin!Sosius
|
|
274, Roman Imitative Antoninianus (Barbarous Radiate), produced in Britain and the continent. Struck in the name of TETRICUS II as AUGUSTUSObverse: (IMP C TET)RICVS AG. Radiate bust of Tetricus II facing right, seen from behind.
Reverse: Struck from extremely worn reverse die which possibly depicts Salus feeding serpent arising from altar.
Diameter: 14mm | Weight: 1.7gms | Die Axis: 6
SPINK: 749
RARE
This is an irregular issue (barbarous radiate) giving Tetricus II the title of Augustus rather than Caesar.
Interestingly the Historia Augusta makes this statement with regard to Aurelian's triumph in A.D.274. "In the procession was Tetricus also, arrayed in a scarlet cloak, a yellow tunic, and Gallic trousers, and with him his son, whom he had proclaimed in Gaul as Imperator." (Historia Augusta, xxxiv, iii). Imperator was a title that invariably, when referring to an Imperial figure, implied the rank of Augustus, but no regular official coinage issues of Tetricus II citing him as such are known.
The term 'barbarous radiates', dating from its use by antiquarians in the 19th century, is still often used to refer to the locally produced unofficial coins which imitated the official Roman antoninianii of the period. These coins were not struck by barbarians outwith the Empire as the name would suggest, nor were they intrinsically forgeries or fakes. Instead they were the result of a period of great instability within the Roman empire during which the western provinces especially often experienced a severe lack of coinage. To fill this void small denomination coinage was unofficially issued in very large numbers. Though some of these coins are fairly close copies of the official coins which they imitate, many others have been produced by die engravers who were patently illiterate and often of limited ability artistically as well. Around 274 Aurelian banned the use of these imitative bronzes when he reformed the currency but it is possible that some "barbarous radiates" were still being produced after that date. Whether individual coins are of British or Continental mintage can really only be ascertained by provenance.
*Alex
|
|
286 - 293, CARAUSIUS, AE Antoninianus, struck 289 - 293 at Londinium (London), EnglandObverse: IMP C CARAVSIVS P F AVG. Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust of Carausius facing right.
Reverse: PAX AVG. Pax standing facing left, holding olive branch in her right hand and vertical sceptre in left; across field, S - P: in exergue, MLXXI.
Diameter: 23mm | Weight: 3.9gms | Die Axis: 6h | Some remaining patches of silvering.
Unlisted. cf.RIC V ii : 98
VERY RARE
Marcus Aurelius Mausaeus Carausius, of Menapian origin and commander of the fleet under Maximianus, rebelled and set himself up as Emperor in Britain in A.D.287. Carausius thwarted all the attempts of Maximianus to recover the lost territory and even extended his authority over part of Gaul. In A.D.293 however, Constantius took over the struggle from Maximianus and succeeded in capturing Boulogne, Carausius' main stronghold on the Continent. Soon after this Carausius was murdered by his chief minister, Allectus, who succeeded to the throne.*Alex
|
|
293 - 305, CONSTANTIUS I (Chlorus) as Caesar, AE Follis, struck 298 - 300 at Londinium (London), EnglandObverse: FL VAL CONSTANTIVS NOB C. Laureate and cuirassed bust of Constantius I facing right.
Reverse: GENIO POPVLI ROMANI. Genius, kalathos on head, standing facing left, holding patera in right hand and cornucopia in left; no mintmark (London).
Diameter: 28mm | Weight: 10.97gms | Die Axis: 6h
RIC VI: 14a | SRCV IV: 14034 | SPINK: 706
Rare
Ex Asprey Coins, London
Group II. Early example with the style of Constantius' portrait appearing to show the influence of Carausius/Allectus die engravers.*Alex
|
|
305 - 306, SEVERUS II as Caesar, AE Follis struck 305 - 306 at Londinium (London), EnglandObverse: SEVERVS NOBILISSIMVS CAES. Laureate and cuirassed bust of Severus II facing right.
Reverse: GENIO POPVLI ROMANI. Genius, kalathos on head, standing facing left, holding patera in right hand and cornucopia in left; no mint-mark in exergue.
Diameter: 29mm | Weight: 10.399gms | Die Axis: 6h
RIC VI: 59a | Cohen VII: 24 | SPINK: 712
Rare
Ex. Errett Bishop Collection | Ex. FORVM (USA)
SEVERUS II
Flavius Valerius Severus Augustus was a Western Roman Emperor from 306 to 307. He was born in Northern Illyria (now Albania) and rose to become a senior officer in the Roman army. As an old friend of Galerius, that emperor appointed Severus as Caesar on 1 May 305 and he thus served as junior emperor under Constantius I in the Western Roman Empire.
When Constantius I died in the summer of 306, Severus was promoted to Augustus by Galerius under the rules of succession established under the Tetrarchy. However Constantius I had died on campaign in York and his army in Britain had acclaimed his son, Constantine I, as his successor. Although furious at this elevation, Galerius wanted to avoid any threat of a civil war so he compromised by allowing Constantine to bear the title of Caesar.
When this news reached Maxentius, the son of Maximianus, he revolted and declared himself emperor at Rome,
Galerius sent Severus, at the head of an army which had previously been commanded by Maximianus, to suppress the rebellion. Maxentius asked his father to re-assume the purple and rule the empire with him and Maximianus, who had been reluctant to abdicate, readily accepted. When Severus arrived under the walls of Rome to besiege it his men deserted to their old commander forcing Severus to flee to Ravenna. Maximianus offered to spare his life and treat him humanely if he surrendered peaceably. Severus complied but, despite Maximianus' assurance, he was displayed as a captive, imprisoned and later put to death.
*Alex
|
|
308 - 324, LICINIUS I, AE Follis struck 314 - 315 at Londinium (London), EnglandObverse: IMP LICINIVS P F AVG. Laureate and cuirassed bust of Licinius I facing right.
Reverse: GENIO POP ROM. Genius, turreted, standing facing left, holding patera in right hand and cornucopia in left; across field, S - F; in exergue, MSL.
Diameter: 21.4mm | Weight: 2.634gms | Die Axis: 6h
RIC VII: 31 | SRCV IV: 15186 | Cohen: 53 | Cf.SPINK: 717a
Rare
Ex. FORVM (USA)*Alex
|
|
317 - 337, CONSTANTINE II as CAESAR, AE3 struck 317 at Londinium (London), EnglandObverse: CONSTANTINVS IVN N C. Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Constantine II facing right, viewed from the rear.
Reverse: SOLI INVICTO COMITI. Sol, radiate, chlamys across left shoulder, standing facing left, his right hand raised and holding globe in his left. In left field, S; in right field, P; in exergue, PLN.
Diameter: 19mm | Weight: 3.4gms | Die Axis: 6h
RIC VII : 118
VERY RARE*Alex
|
|
317 - 337, CONSTANTINE II as Caesar, AE3 struck 321 at Londinium (London), EnglandObverse: CONSTANTINVS IVN N C. Radiate and cuirassed bust of Constantine II facing left.
Reverse: BEATA TRANQVILLITAS. Altar, inscribed VOT IS XX in three lines, surmounted by cosmic globe with three stars above; across field, P - A; in exergue, PLON.
Diameter: 20mm | Weight: 2.9gms | Die Axis: 6h
RIC VII : 219
Rare
Ex Killingholme Hoard (1993)
Claudius Constantinus was the eldest son of Constantine and Fausta, he was given the rank of Caesar in A.D.316, at the same time as Crispus and Licinius II.
This coin was struck in connection with the fifteenth anniversary of Constantine II's father, Constantine the great.
THE KILLINGHOLME HOARD
The Killingholme Hoard was discovered in a field between Killingholme and Habrough on the south bank of the Humber Estuary by a pair of metal detectorists in the Autumn of 1993.
The initial coins of the hoard were surface finds, many of which were found before the hoard itself was discovered. In total, there were 1504 coins found in the topsoil, and another 2753 found buried in a single clay pot.
The top of the pot had been cut off by ploughing, which had caused a large number of coins to be scattered around the field. Nevertheless, the remains of the pot were found when the coins packed in it were detected. The pot had a diameter of about 20cm and within it were thousands of coins.
One of the finders reported that the coins appeared to have been carefully arranged inside the pot, and seemed to produce a spiralling pattern. Unfortunately, the coins were emptied into a bath for cleaning so any chance of researching this arrangement was lost forever.
The coins that constituted the hoard were bronze reduced folles, most of which were struck between the 320s and the early 330s, during the time of the emperor Constantine. Though the coins came from several mints in the Western part of the Roman Empire, most of them were from the London mint. It is thought that the hoard was probably deposited around 333/334 AD.
Because, in 1993, base metal coins were not counted as treasure, the coins were returned to the finders who sent the bulk of the coins to be auctioned off by Spink of London. Fortunately, prior to being sold, the coins were recorded by the British Museum which acquired for itself 86 coins from the hoard.
After the recordings were completed, though the finders kept a few coins for themselves, the remainder of the coins were sold off in batches. It has been rumoured that many of these coins went to the Italian luxury goods producer Bulgari, who used them to make jewellery.
Such a process would not be permitted in England today as, following the enactment of the Treasure Act in 1996, the Killingholme Hoard would now fulfil the criteria for "treasure" as outlined by the Act.
CONTEMPORARY PHOTO OF THE KILLINGHOLM HOARD, CLICK ON THUMBNAIL TO ENLARGE IT
 *Alex
|
|
32 Gordian I AfricanusGORDIAN I AFRICANUS
AE Sestertius, Rome Mint
27-29 mm, 17.75 g
March 19 to April 9, 238 A.D.
IMP CAES M ANT GORDIANVS AFR AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind / VICTORIA AVGG, S-C, Victory advancing left, holding wreath and palm.
RIC IV, 2, p. 161, 12. Very rare. Good portrait and fully readable name. Very fine.
Ex-Auctiones
Gordian I, an 80-year-old senator, was proclaimed as emperor during a revolt in Africa but commited suicide after his son and co-ruler Gordianus II was defeated by Maximinus' legate. Their rule only lasted for 20 days, hence the rarity of their coins.Sosius
|
|
324 - 337, CONSTANTIUS II as CAESAR, AE3 struck 324 - 325 at Londinium (London), EnglandObverse: FL IVL CONSTANTIVS NOB C. Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Constantius II facing left.
Reverse: PROVIDENTIAE CAESS. Camp-gate with two turrets, star above; in exergue, PLON.
Diameter: 19mm | Weight: 2.85gms | Die Axis: 6h
RIC VII : 298 | SPINK: 739
Rare
*Alex
|
|
35 PupienusPUPIENUS
Æ Sestertius, 238 A.D.
IMP CAES M CLOD PVPIENVS AVG, Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / PAX PVBLICA, SC, Pax seated left, holding branch and sceptre.
RIC V 22; BMCRE 48; Cohen 23.
VF, Rare
Ex LucernaeSosius
|
|
5 Severus IISEVERUS II
AE Quarter-Folles , Siscia, 305-306 AD
FL VAL SEVERVS NOB C, Bust r. / GENIO POP-VLI ROMANI, Genius standing left holding patera and cornucopiae, SIS in ex
RIC VI Siscia 170a Rare Sosius
|
|
5 Severus IISEVERUS II
AE Quarter-Folles, Siscia, 305-306 AD
O: SEVERVS NOB C, Laureate bust left / GENIO POP-VLI ROMANI, Genius, naked, wearing modius, holding patera and cornucopia, chalmys over l. shoulder
RIC VI Siscia 171a; Rare; Fine, rough. Sosius
|
|
5 Severus IISEVERUS II
Silvered Follis, Serdica Mint, 306-307 AD
O: IMP C FL VAL SEVERVS PF AVG, Laureate bust r. / GENIO POPV-L-I ROMANI, Genius standing naked l., modius on hd., holding patera from which liquid flows, and cornucopiae, delta to r., SM dot SD dot in ex.
RIC VI Serdica 24. aVF, Rare. Silvering brighter on reverse than obverse.Sosius
|
|
6 Galba AE AsGALBA
AE As
O: SER GALBA IMP CAESAR AVG TR P, laureate head right
R: CERES AVGVSTA S C, Ceres, draped, seated left holding 2 corn ears and torch.
RIC 420 aF, rough surfaces, red encrustations on Galba's face. Rare
Sosius
|
|
716 - 757, ANGLO-SAXON, AR Sceat, struck under Aethelbald, King of Mercia.Obverse: No legend. Two crude diademed heads in profile, face to face, long cross on pedestal between them; all within pelleted circle.
Reverse: A whorl of four stylised birds, facing clockwise, round a central cross pommée; all within pelleted circle.
Slightly chipped edge
Secondary Phase, Series J, Type 37
Diameter: 13mm | Weight: 0.8gms | Die Axis: Uncertain
SPINK: 802A | Metcalf: 296 - 300 | Abramson (Sceatta List): 19 - 30
RARE
These coins do not bear inscriptions and it is only recently (2022) that research has permitted their correct dating and attribution to a specific area.
Although originally thought to be Northumbrian and attributed to York, the coinage of series J is now confidently attributed to Mercia. This coin was struck during the period when Æthelbald (716 - 757) was king of Mercia and overlord of Southern England. Æthelbald came to the throne of Mercia in 716 after the death of his cousin, King Ceolred, who had previously driven him into exile. During Æthelbald's long reign, Mercia became the dominant kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons, and the contemporary chronicler, the Venerable Bede, described Æthelbald as ruling all England south of the river Humber.
Æthelbald was killed in 757 by his bodyguards. He was succeeded briefly by Beornred, of whom little is known, but within a year, Offa, the grandson of Æthelbald's cousin Eanwulf, had seized the throne and, under him, Mercia entered its most prosperous and influential period.*Alex
|
|
82U EugeniusEUGENIUS
AE4, Trier Mint
DN EVGENI-VS PF AVG, bust right / VICTORI-A AVGGG, Victory advancing left, holding wreath and palm branch, TR in exergue
RIC IX Trier 107 or 108. Sear (2014) 20693. Rare: R3Sosius
|
|
90 Avitus?AVITUS?
AE4/5, Rome mint
O: DN AVIT-VS PF AVG, bust right
R: VICTOR-IA AVGG, Victory standing, left, holding wreath and palm branch, RM in ex., S in left field
RIC X 2412 or 2413, R5. Sear (2014) 21581 or 21582 (extremely rare)
Like many late Roman coins, this could be a barbarous issue, but it has many of the features of genuine Avitus coins. Still not enough detail or legends to remove the question mark after Avitus, though!Sosius
|
|
Antonius pius caesarea maritima mint Obv.: laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
Rev.:COL PRIMA FL AVG CAESAR, Apollo, nude standing to front looking left holding in right bow (?) leaning with left on tripod-lebes which is encircled by serpent. Rare. Very fine.Maritima
|
|
| 7274 files on 81 page(s) |
1 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
