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Uncommonly Artistic Coins of the "Crisis of the Third Century"


Orange Julius

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14 hours ago, ambr0zie said:

Always liked Valerian II portraits. Including the one on my coin - too bad the reverse die was not in the best shape! I think the portrait and the level of artistry in general is superior to the average coins in the era. 

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I also intend to buy the Valerian II antoninianus with young Jupiter riding the goat (not my coin) for the same reasons. 

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I have the type of Valerian II that @ambr0zieis seeking:valerianII1.jpg.069b0f18fcf327a516f0b2c28ab3dd58.jpgvalerianII2.jpg.6c53c2db29dc2a167bb5c2b31ed9de1d.jpg

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While Roman society and the economy deteriorated in the mid-3rd century, I think the artistry of coin die engraving flourished more than ever - perhaps to partially hide the deteriorating monetary standards.

The great diversity of Probus-busts is unsurpassed in Roman numismatics.

The Numerian bust below is as good as it gets in Roman monetary history.

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2 - Kopie.PNG

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 2/26/2023 at 4:21 PM, maridvnvm said:

Victorinus Antoninianus

Obv:– IMP C M PIAVVONIVS VICTORINVS P F AVG, Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right
Rev:– FIDES MILITVM, Fides standing left holding two standards
Minted in mint I. 269 A.D. Issue 1
Reference:– RIC 108; Elmer 648; AGK (corr.) 5a;

2.97gms. 20.22mm. 0 degrees

RI_119m_img.JPG

That’s a very Postumus-looking Victorinus! I’ve never seen a bust like that for him. A fun coin.

Anyway, finally circling back to see everyone’s coins here. There are many beautiful examples! As some have said, the die engraving was still (on many coins) as artistic as it had ever been… it was just the metal, flan quality and over use of dies that made many coins look dumpy. I’ve really enjoyed some of the great Numerian and Carinus coins. Probus of course had some great coins and those Gallic emperors usually had nice portraits even if the reverses were hastily done many times.

Perfect examples are some Quintillus coins. The busts are well done… it’s just everything else that is crappy (flan, metal, strike, reverse, etc.) 🤷🏻‍♂️
QuintillusSisciaRICV-1-79.JPG.882b9f09b60f42c159f0c2331b5f58af.JPG
QuintillusRomeRICV-1-20.JPG.db1c80b291747cc28744b7b2ae8a88b9.JPG

I love this Probus coin, about as good as it gets.

ProbusRIC58.jpg.2ac1a53cce55502196430fc684468800.jpg

Severina looks like Aurelian in a wig, but still a nicely done coin with a nice reverse.

SeverinaRomeRICV-1-3.JPG.fb576818838569c8adb70e0dd3cadd47.JPG

Edited by Orange Julius
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The Roman provincial mint at Antioch, Syria had a long tradition of striking silver & billon tetradrachms to pay legionaries stationed in the eastern provinces. These coins were phased out during the mid 3rd century as the Roman troops were pulled out of the east. The tetradrachms during this late phase still retained excellent portrait engraving. Herennia Etruscilla was the last empress to appear on these tetradrachms, & all of them are considered rare. 

H.E.AWKCollection.jpg.f905ee5e81cfcef29f35c4b61d409a6e.jpg

          ROMAN ANTIOCH. Herennia Etruscilla, AD 249-253. Billon Tetradrachm: 11.37 gm, 26 mm. McAlee 1165c.

 

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This one is not in my collection. (It is in fact for sale and I am thinking about buying it). The die-cutting and artistry is superb for a coin dating from 253 C.E., between the time of Gallus and Valerian. It would be one of the more expensive coins in my collection issued by the short-lived but officially recognized ruler Aemilianus.

Should I pull the trigger?

aemilian_sest.jpg.11d4a1eca04b2e0c5345526d6be356c1.jpg

Catalog: RIC 39; Banti 13.
Material: Orichalcum
Weight: 18.94 g
Diameter: 28.00 mm
Rome.
Obv: IMP AEMILIANVS PIVS FEL AVG; laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Aemilian to the right.
Rev: SPES PVBLICA; Spes advancing to the left, holding flower in right hand and hitching skirt; across fields: S C.
Very rare. Brown patina.
 
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38 minutes ago, Ancient Coin Hunter said:

This one is not in my collection. (It is in fact for sale and I am thinking about buying it). The die-cutting and artistry is superb for a coin dating from 253 C.E., between the time of Gallus and Valerian. It would be one of the more expensive coins in my collection issued by the short-lived but officially recognized ruler Aemilianus.

Should I pull the trigger?

aemilian_sest.jpg.11d4a1eca04b2e0c5345526d6be356c1.jpg

Catalog: RIC 39; Banti 13.
Material: Orichalcum
Weight: 18.94 g
Diameter: 28.00 mm
Rome.
Obv: IMP AEMILIANVS PIVS FEL AVG; laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Aemilian to the right.
Rev: SPES PVBLICA; Spes advancing to the left, holding flower in right hand and hitching skirt; across fields: S C.
Very rare. Brown patina.
 

The answer is always yes, but especially so in this case 👏🏻💰💸💸

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3 hours ago, Ancient Coin Hunter said:

This one is not in my collection. (It is in fact for sale and I am thinking about buying it). The die-cutting and artistry is superb for a coin dating from 253 C.E., between the time of Gallus and Valerian. It would be one of the more expensive coins in my collection issued by the short-lived but officially recognized ruler Aemilianus.

Should I pull the trigger?

aemilian_sest.jpg.11d4a1eca04b2e0c5345526d6be356c1.jpg

Catalog: RIC 39; Banti 13.
Material: Orichalcum
Weight: 18.94 g
Diameter: 28.00 mm
Rome.
Obv: IMP AEMILIANVS PIVS FEL AVG; laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Aemilian to the right.
Rev: SPES PVBLICA; Spes advancing to the left, holding flower in right hand and hitching skirt; across fields: S C.
Very rare. Brown patina.
 

IMO definitely not, at least not for anywhere near the listed price. (I suspect the two commenters above didn't check the price?)  It's heavily smoothed – and I think tooled as well – plus not as nice as examples that have recently sold at auction for much less.

Edited by Severus Alexander
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18 minutes ago, Severus Alexander said:

IMO definitely not, at least not for anywhere near the listed price. (I suspect the two commenters above didn't check the price?)  It's heavily smoothed – and I think tooled as well – plus not as nice as examples that have recently sold at auction for much less.

Yeah, my “buy it now!” was an uninformed coin monster reaction. My post should have a disclaimer that says “this post is not coin buying or financial advice but for entertainment purposes only. Please conduct your own analysis and ignore my words but feel my excitement!” In theory… usually a big chunky Aemilianus is a “take my money” situation. 😬😀

Edited by Orange Julius
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Here's a coin in the spirit of the thread.  In the final throes of the crisis, when the Imperial coinage was at rock bottom, I think there's some amazing engraving to be found on Alexandrian tetradrachmae:

image.jpeg.187b964f31e7f43b4b969e9047a2aefa.jpeg

Egypt, Alexandria: Claudius II billon tetradrachm, year 2 (269/70), Emmett 3878.2.

3 hours ago, Ancient Coin Hunter said:

I'm not a pro like @Severus Alexander so I need to defer in these cases.

Well, thanks for the compliment, but having run a grand total of 3 auctions I hardly qualify as a pro!  I guess I must fake it well. 😁

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20 hours ago, Severus Alexander said:

Here's a coin in the spirit of the thread.  In the final throes of the crisis, when the Imperial coinage was at rock bottom, I think there's some amazing engraving to be found on Alexandrian tetradrachmae:

image.jpeg.187b964f31e7f43b4b969e9047a2aefa.jpeg

Egypt, Alexandria: Claudius II billon tetradrachm, year 2 (269/70), Emmett 3878.2.

Well, thanks for the compliment, but having run a grand total of 3 auctions I hardly qualify as a pro!  I guess I must fake it well. 😁

That’s a great Claudius II tetradrachm! I have a few new Claudius IIs from Alexandria that I’m going to start a thread with but I agree that there were some great coins out of Alexandria from this time. Here’s my somewhat recent favorite:

55766BB3-068E-42EA-9763-443DC14D5C2C.jpeg.b96f1347d02296289effeb27195e069f.jpeg
Gallienus Tetradrachm
RY 13 = 265/6.
Ob: AYT Κ Π ΛΙK ΓΑΛΛΙΗΝΟC CЄΒ Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Gallienus to right, seen from behind.
Rev. L - ΙΓ Nike standing front, head to left, holding wreath in her right hand and palm frond in her left. Emmett 3823 (13) R1, Mine 4117, Curtis ____, Dattari (Savio) 5253,  K&G 90.89. 

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3 hours ago, Orange Julius said:

Here’s my somewhat recent favorite:

55766BB3-068E-42EA-9763-443DC14D5C2C.jpeg.b96f1347d02296289effeb27195e069f.jpeg
Gallienus Tetradrachm
RY 13 = 265/6.
Ob: AYT Κ Π ΛΙK ΓΑΛΛΙΗΝΟC CЄΒ Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Gallienus to right, seen from behind.
Rev. L - ΙΓ Nike standing front, head to left, holding wreath in her right hand and palm frond in her left. Emmett 3823 (13) R1, Mine 4117, Curtis ____, Dattari (Savio) 5253,  K&G 90.89. 

Awesome coin, @Orange Julius! Great engraving on both obverse and reverse. I've been looking for a Gallienus like that!

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On 2/27/2023 at 11:31 AM, maridvnvm said:

A youthful portrait of this elderly senator (75 years old) promoted to Emperor by the Senate.

Tacitus Antoninianus 

Obv:– IMP C CL TACITVS AVG, Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right
Rev:– PROVID DEOR, Providentia standing left, holding baton and cornucopia; at foot, globe
Minted in Lugdunum (no marks), Emission 1, from October to December A.D. 275
References:– Cohen 64. Bastien 41. RIC 49 Bust Type C

4.23gms. 21.98mm. 180 degrees
 

RI_130ad_img~0.JPG

What a fantastic portrait, slide corrosion excepting. Really lovely coin.

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