GordianAppreciator101

Just arrived. Tacitus Antoninianus/Aurelianianus from Rome

IMP C M CL TACITVS P F AVG - LAETITIA FVND / XXIB 

Ric V Tacitus 89

Gordian Provincial:

Gordian III (238-244)    Bronze Provincial AE from Anchialus  

Obverse Legend: AVT K M ANT ΓOΡΔIANOC AVΓ CAB - TΡANKYΛΛINA   

Reverse Legend: OYΛΠIANΩN AΓXIAΛEΩN   

Moushmov 2948

Link: Decius

Decius (249-251)    Silver Antoninianus from Milan

Obverse legend: IMP CAE TRA DECIVS AVG    

Reverse legend: GEN ILLVRICI  

RIC IV 38b

(Also, to counter his bad luck spell I've got to share a coin of Maurice)

Maurice   (582-602) Bronze Decanummium from Antioch, minted the 8th year of his reign (589-590)

Obverse:  D N "TIVC TAN" PP    

Reverse: X - ANNO VIII   

SB 536

Phocas is infamous among Byzantine History enthusiasts for being the worst possible man in charge of a vast Empire at a time where hope and recovery seemed to finally be on the menu. I'll always have a soft spot for Maurice and his 9 children, and thus, I can't but view Phocas as the villain of their story. They had so much potential... 😥 He certainly proved to be less capable than any member of the Theodosian, Leonid or Justinianic Dynasties and that's why nowadays he's merely a footnote in history, placed in between much more renowned names like Justinian or Heraclius. In spite of his mediocrity, he certainly helped prove a point: Rome could recover from the worst catastrophes and as such, avenging Maurice, Heraclius got rid of him. The consequences of Phocas' usurpation (which can be, in consequence, tagged to Heraclius' rising too) are vast: The total loss of the Levant and Egypt (and with it the many mints we know and love like Alexandria and Antioch), the destruction of resources, the Hellenization of the empire (it was doomed to happen but Heraclius just accelerated it) and the downfall of Byzantine military strength and prestige at a time where Medieval Western Europe was still in its infancy. Italy would be lost not much later, the Empire would take hundreds of years to recover and it would accelerate the rate at which Usurpers rose up successfully, further creating more chaos and making establishing a real succession line imppossible (Apart from Basiliscus' brief interregnum in 475-476, the Eastern Throne hadn't been "truly" usurped since its separation in 395)

All this to say that I've just recently acquired a follis of his... and I love it. It's the largest coin in my collection as of yet and it looks great. His beard is a nice change of pace from all the shaved portraits from the past 2 centuries.

Phocas    (602-610)    Bronze Follis from Cyzicus (First Mint: KYZA)   

Obverse legend: D N FOCAS PERP AVG    

Reverse Legend: ANNO - XXXX   

SB 665

Have you got any nice coins of Phocas? 

On 8/22/2023 at 1:28 PM, Ocatarinetabellatchitchix said:

Your coin is Mairat 792 (if it’s the doted obverse legend) or 793 (no dots). With the COMES AVG reverse. Also Cunetio 2602, RIC 56, Elmer 774. It’s from Trier Issue 4.

Fantastic beard on that Tetricus of yours, less pointy than usual. Almost resembles Postumus.

Even if (understandably) Gordian III is my favorite, I gotta say Tetricus is in the top of collectible emperors: Here's all my examples.

Tetricus, IMP C C ESV TETRICVS AVG - VICTORIA AVG. RIC V 140

Tetricus, IMP TETRICVS P F AVG - HILARITAS AVGG. RIC V 80

Tetricus, IMP TETRICVS P F AVG -  VIRTVS AVGG. RIC V 148.

 And as a special extra... A bunch of Tetricus Gallic Radiates. (Palm of my hand for size reference)

I believe it's supposed to be Gallienus' 3rd son Marinianus, who was too young to be named Caesar or Co-Augustus during Valerian's attempts to establish dynastic governors much like it would happen later in the Tetrarchy, using Gallienus' sons Valerian II and Saloninus. Marinianus was born in 249, meaning he was 19 when he was appointed consul in 268, right before his murder. His appointment as Caesar was anticipated to come at around 269 or 270 at maximum. Why he wasn't made a governor somewhere else under a guardian like his elder brothers probably comes down to being just too young even for Valerian, and when he got captured in 260 Gallienus discontinued his policies, seeing how he had lost two sons already under dubious circumstances. Sadly, this coin type's reverse seems to be his only actual representation on coins as he was murdered in 268 either in Milan or Rome, along with his uncle Valerianus Minor, following his father Gallienus' own murder.

The RIC reference for Quintus Julius Gallienus is thought to be fake, as @Lhevae, I and a few others discussed a while back, although, as it is the case with the identification of the 3rd kid with Marinianus, it hasn't been 100% proven. However, I'm fairly inclined to say that it is indeed him shown on the reverse, along with his two (soon-to-be-deceased) brothers on the reverse.

By the way, this coin type has been in my bucket list for a long time, just haven't found the perfect one yet. Congrats on your find!

Link: Ex Hoard & Cologne

Postumus Antoninianus, 260-269, Cologne

Obverse: IMP C POSTVMVS P F AVG

Reverse: PAX AVG

RIC V 318 - Ex Hortensia Hoard. (Trésor d'Hortensia)

Link: Mars on the reverse

Gordian III Antoninianus, 244, Rome Mint

Obverse: IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG    

Reverse: MARS PROPVG   

RIC IV 145

Back in January I started buying some cheap lots off of Ebay to try my hand at ID-ing, cleaning and then eventually reselling them. At the time I was mostly planning on learning how to clean bronzes, but eventually the whole ID-ing process became my main source of fun. You never know what you've got in front of you until you've properly inspected every nook and cranny of a particularly unremarkable Nummus of Constantius II, the most common type I've come across. Until now, I've come across quite a few different coins that for one reason or another have called my attention: Abstract Barbarous Radiates, Iberian coins for which I found a match after days of digging... However, this last one has been so... uninteresting it became my best find yet (rarity wise, quality wise not so much) 

The portraiture in itself is nothing remarkable, and the condition isn't exactly the best. I've not dared to "try" to clean it either for fear of damaging the coin any more but all the important features are there.

This is a Nummus of Constans, minted between 347 and 348 at Trier. This I know because of the M with a dot visible on the reverse. The mint mark should be TRP but even in hand its pretty tough to read. The reverse type is a Two Victories one, "VICTORIAE DD AVGG Q NN", I've got quite a few of those in my lots; what matters is the obverse.

The legend quickly called my attention. On the left side "CONSTANS" can be read completely, instead of the more usual "CONSTAN", with the "S" being on the other side, along with the P F AVG. From here I started digging, but couldn't find anything online, not on ACSearch, not on Ocre, and eventually found it mentioned in Helvetica's RIC Lists, a huge source for every single type minted for a particular Emperor, reverse type etc.

According to it the type is RIC VIII Trier 182 var (obverse break) which I've managed to find a reference to on an Italian forum from 2015, where another person unknowingly bought one of these. Overall, this is one of the rarest coins I've come across and hopefully a good sign for future lots to try and ID. 

Has any of you guys come across such surprising finds in any lots you've got?

7 hours ago, DimitriosL said:

Greetings, recently i resumed my hobby of cleaning roman bronzes. I ve come to realize that it not lucrative but I still enjoy the process. Does anyone know a good and active forum for instructions and questions about coin cleaning. There are some that are quite tricky and would like tips and guidance. 

You should join the AncientCoins discord server, the mods just opened a "Cleaning Coins" tab this week. 

(Not sure if this counts as advertising, plenty of people came from that discord when the forum was opened. LMK if it's not allowed)

These three coins of mine that I just got today have been the inspiration for this post, as I knew nothing about the hoard itself when I got them. They came from the bigger lots and have been cleaned between 2022 and 2023.

1. Gallienus (253-268) Minted 255-256 | Silver Antoninianus from Samosata    
            IMP C P LIC GALLIENVS P F AVG        
            VIRTVS AVGG        
            RIC V 456a From the Hortensia Hoard

2. Gallienus (253-268) Minted 264-265    | Billon Antoninianus from Mediolanum                                                          

          GALLIENVS AVG    
          PAX AVG 
          RIC V 501k From the Hortensia Hoard

3. Postumus (260-269)    Minted 260-269 | Silver Antoninianus from Treveris
          IMP C POSTVMVS P F AVG    
          PAX AVG 
          Not on RIC From the Hortensia Hoard

Here’s how the lots looked like at the time of the sale (My three coins may not be in there, the lots are pretty similar)

And to end the research, a few of the more interesting pieces (None of the coins are mine, pics are taken from the Rossini Auction)

This Antoninianus of Postumus of Hercules has been the main image of the hoard in every place I’ve seen, so I thought it necessary to share it. The reverse is nothing special, just the typical Iovi Statori type. 

A well struck Macrianus.

And finally, a nice Gallienus Antoninianus commemorating the Legio I Minervia. Ironically enough, this Legion would switch sides and join Postumus in 260.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

So with this said, do you folks own any coins from this Hoard?

Hello everyone and welcome to a little research I’ve been conducting for a few days. I recently learned of the existence of a new Hoard that emerged not very long ago in a French Auction house and got some coins (and some history) to share of the Hoard in question. 

To give a little context before going into the coins themselves, the treasure known as the “Hortensia Hoard” (Or in French Tresor d’Hortensia) originates from a woman of the same name, who played bridge in the Côte d’Azur in Southern France and sadly passed in 1998, leaving a “sack” of 13 whole kilos of Antoniniani to her nephew, who kept them stored until 2022 not thinking anything about them. That’s a whole 24 years of a bag full of Antoniniani stuck in a cellar. Sadly the nephew didn’t know where they came from and so, the origin of the Hoard is uncertain. The Regional Archeology Service under the French DRAC (Direction régionale des Affaires culturelles) then investigates the coins, the 4.000 of them, and doesn’t find anything interesting, returning all of the coins to the nephew. The nephew then decided to sell them away: The Rossini Auction in Paris is chosen, and the date: 7th of July, 2022. 

The Antoniniani were grouped by Emperor in the auction:
- Gordian III (238-244) (1 coin)
- Decius (249-251) (few coins)
- Trebonianus Gallus (251-253) (few coins)
- Aemilian (253) (1 coin)
- Valerian (251-260) and Mariniana (a few dozen coins)
- Gallienus (253-268) (in large numbers, including the majority of the Treveri/Trier mint) and Salonina (268 )
- Their children Valérien II (256-259) and Salonin (260)
- Macrianus, usurper (261) (2 coins) 
- Postumus (260-269) (The most represented emperor), including a few copies in his name minted at Milan by Aureolus, Gallienus’ rogue cavalry commander..
- Marius (269) (a few coins )
- Victorinus (269-271) (a few dozen coins), under whose reign this lot must have been buried.

Sources:
https://www.rossini.fr/actualite/87450 (In French)
https://www.lamoneta.it/topic/208186-tresor-dhortensia/ (In Italian)

Link to the Rossini Auction Results

In the next post we’ll take a look at the coins themselves.

It's kinda cheating to use Probus' coinage to show good artistry from the late Antoniniani-Aurelianiani era but... One can never go wrong with Probus.

Then taking a little detour, I absolutely love this portrait of Victorinus, even if the reverse isn't the best

My only coin from the Decian Dynasty, an Antoninianus of Decius himself.

Decius  |  249-251  |  250-251  |  Antoninianus |  Mediolanum  |  IMP CAE TRA DECIVS AVG  |  GEN ILLVRICI  | RIC IV 38b

19 hours ago, Prieure de Sion said:

What Maximinus Thrax is to @Severus Alexander, Philip and his family are to me - I don't really like this emperor. Therefore, I don't have much of a priority and can actually only contribute three coins whose portraits I find quite ok. But I will probably never be enthusiastic about this family dynasty.

 

Even though the coin has a flan crack, I still like this portrait of old Philip best. This is a very rare Antoninianus variant from Antioch with the bust to the left.
 

Marcus Iulius Philippus I Arabs
Antoninianus of the Roman Imperial Period 247 AD; Material: Silver; Diameter: 20mm; Weight: 4.63g; Mint: Antiochia ad Orontem, Syria; Reference: RIC IV Philip I 234 var. (Bust left); Provenance: Ex Nomos Zürich, Switzerland; Obverse: Bust of Philip the Arab, radiate, draped, cuirassed, left. The Inscription reads: IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG for Imperator Marcus Iulius Philippus Augustus; Reverse: Philip II, veiled, standing left, sacrificing out of patera in right hand over tripod and holding sceptre in left hand. The Inscription reads: P M TR P IIII COS II P P for Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate Quarta, Consul Secundum, Pater Patriae (High priest, holder of tribunician power for the fourth time, consul for the second time, father of the nation).

 

Then here is a very young portrait of Philip Caesar. 
 

Marcus Iulius Severus Philippus II Caesar
Tetradrachm of the Roman Imperial Period 244 AD; Material: Billon Silver; Diameter: 27mm; Weight: 11.50g; Mint: Antiochia ad Orontem, Syria; Reference: Prieur 332, McAlee 1008, RPC VIII Online Unassigned ID 29197; Obverse: Bareheaded, draped and cuirassed bust of Philippus II Caesar to right, seen from behind. The Inscription reads: MAP IOYΛI ΦIΛIΠΠOC KЄCAP for Marcos Ioulios Philippos Kaisaros (Marcus Iulius Philippus Caesar); Reverse: Eagle standing facing on palm branch, head left and tail right, with wings spread, holding wreath in beak; S C in exergue. The Inscription reads: ΔHMAPX ЄΞOYCIAC for Demarchos exousia, Senatus Consulto (Invested with the Tribunician Power, by decree of the Senate).

 

And an equally young but already older portrait of the son. Heavily stylised and idealised - but I liked it.
 

Marcus Iulius Severus Philippus II Caesar
Tetradrachm of the Roman Imperial Period 248 AD; Material: Silver; Diameter: 26.5mm; Weight: 13.18g; Mint: Antiochia ad Orontem, Syria; Reference: Prieur 406 (10 ex.), RPC VIII 29011, McAlee 1038a; Obverse: Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust left. The Inscription reads: AYTOK K M IOYΛI ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟC CEB for Autokratoros Kaisaros Markos Ioulios Filippos Sebastos (Imperator Caesar Marcus Iulius Philippus Augustus); Reverse: Eagle, wings displayed, standing right, holding wreath in beak; in exergue, ANTIOXIA/S C in two lines. The Inscription reads: ΔHMAΡX ЄΞOVCIAC VΠA TO Γ for Demarchos exousia Hypatos to Gamma, Antiochia, Senatus Consulto (Invested with the Tribunician Power, Consul of the 3rd time, Antiochia, by decree of the Senate). 

 

I don't have a portrait of Otacilia Severa that I really like.

 

As a Gordian Appreciator (Hence my name) I disapprove of the Philippi as much as the next person but it has to be admitted that being the Emperor that Celebrated the 1000 years of Rome is a very prideful thing to achieve. Hence why I myself got this little Antoninianus celebrating Rome, even if I'm not planning on getting any other Philip coins in the near future. 

PD: Shame I missed the Gordianposting opportunity. Hopefully once we reach Julius Nepos there's a second round 😅

Congrats on the find! 😁

18 minutes ago, Ancient Coin Hunter said:

I've got an AE2 of the dude as well...Arles mint

 

 

Nice one! The only difference is yours has a TCON mint mark instead of SCON

The first arrival for January, although hopefully not the last, is this Magnus Maximus AE2 from Constantina/Arelate. My biggest LRB, I've wanted a coin of Magnus Maximus since I started collecting and now I've finally ticked him off the Emperors list. I still have to get one of Flavius Victor, who eludes me to this day.

Have you guys got coins of Magnus Maximus or Victor to share? 

1 hour ago, kapphnwn said:

Trajan Ae 24 Caesarea Maritima 115 AD Obv Head right laureate Rv Emperor standing left sacrificing over altar. RPC 3955 11.61 grms 24 mm Photo by W. hansen

Despite being a rather crude portrait I think this guy caught the emperor pretty closely

That's a great type. His face has a 3rd Century Crisis sestertius charm to it. Ironically, kinda reminds me of Trajan Decius.

Gallienus Antoninianus of his Zoo Series, definitely a late issue of his reign but with decent artistry still. Out of all the types he minted for the series, which is a very interesting sub-collection that I hope to eventually achieve, the DIANAE CONS AVG reverse type is the least rare of them all. This post in Numiswiki claims that 43% of all the coins of the Zoo Series from the Cunetio Hoard were of this type, with some much rarer types only appearing .2% or .1% of all coins. 

Whatever the case, I find this particular type very interesting as there's always confusion whether the animal on the reverse is a Doe, a stag, an Antelope or a Gazelle. Also, the position of the animal may vary, with types showing it looking backwards or with the entire body facing in a different direction. 

Congrats on the win! Will you do a group shot of every single type to celebrate when you get your hands on this one?

Interesting! Congrats on the find. 😀

That's great!