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Flipover coin of Valentinian I?


Pellinore

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I'm really interested in coins that were messed up in this or that way. Brockage coins can be very beautiful, too. And they all are unique! I always wonder what people did with them. Never saw one with a hole or an attachment. They must have been used as amulets I think. 

But this one is very garbled, an AE15 of the last quarter of the 4th century. 

First you see the picture that decided me to buy the coin - adapted by me. 

Valentflipover.jpg.ce18b1f76d511e60b3cff29e8d6aaa7c.jpg

 

This shows vaguely the head of the emperor to the right with the surrounding text. Is that DNVA or VALE? The diadem binds are rather long and prominent. 

At the reverse the figure of Victory is discentered, but quite sharp. I read ECVRITA, the middle of Securitas. 

Flipovera.jpg.e9f20c324c165ac7937087d6937df687.jpg

It helps if you turn the coin to see the doubles. The head on the other side is very vague, you only see the back of the emperor's head with his ear and diadem at the far right, the rest is off the coin. And there's a small but critical piece of the surrounding text: NTINI. 

Flipoverb.jpg.edfb5aa675bd4318f755c97c61c37f5f.jpg

The Victory side is equally small and critical: the beginning of the word SEC(VRITAS) plus a part of the exergue: ALE ! This can only mean Alexandria. 

Thus we have a small bronze of VALENTINIan with Victory and SECVRITAs minted in ALExandria. I wanted to ask you which Valentinian!

My idea is, based on viewing a few coins on Wildwinds, that it's Valentinian I. Partly because of the longish diadem binds. 

-- Paul

This is my first post on this forum, may there be more in the future. Some of you might know me from other forums.

All suggestions are welcome, I'm not very good at technical things. 

 

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@Pellinore Welcome to Nvmis Forvms.

That's a wild looking coin. The obverse looks like, either an overstrike, or a double strike. Or, as you said, maybe the coin was struck, then accidentally flipped over, then was struck again. I've never seen an ancient Roman coin, so off center, as your coin is, on the obverse. I've seen some pretty poorly struck Byzantine coins, but not many such Roman coins.

Edited by sand
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This item is an AE Antoninianus of Gallienus, who ruled 253-268 A.D. The obverse shows his radiate bust right, with the legend "IMP GALLIENUS AUG". The reverse depicts an antelope walking left, with the legend "DIANAE CONS.AUG)". The coin is attributed as Sear-2953 type 

RCS #2953. RICVa #181. DVM #49/7. RCSVIII #10200.

these types were issued ca. 267-268 A.D., to commemorate vows to Diana invoking her protection against the revolt of Aureolus.)

I guess Aureolus celator got hold of this one:

image.png.f03658e9771abb33f27b1ce7d54c2f17.pngimage.png.df336fca7afb5b63d32284368c67f6ba.png

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Here’s the coin you meant, the spectacular misstrike I bought from Steve x6’s Menagerie of Ancient Animals & Awesomeness.

This is the photo from the CNG (better than I could do it myself), where Steve bought it in March 2017.

Constans. 337-350. AE centenionalis, dramatic double strike on reverse. Obv. Bust to right. DNCONSTA/ NSPFAVG. Rev. FEL TEMP REPARATIO - Soldier advancing right, head left, holding spear and leading boy from hut, doubled; SMNB in exergue (Nicomedia mint, also doubled). 348-350 AD. 20-22 mm, 2.86 gr. RIC VIII 70. Ex CNG 394 (March 29, 2017) Lot 518.

 

2772 CNG phot.jpg

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19 hours ago, Pellinore said:

I'm really interested in coins that were messed up in this or that way. Brockage coins can be very beautiful, too. And they all are unique! I always wonder what people did with them. Never saw one with a hole or an attachment. They must have been used as amulets I think. 

But this one is very garbled, an AE15 of the last quarter of the 4th century. 

First you see the picture that decided me to buy the coin - adapted by me. 

Valentflipover.jpg.ce18b1f76d511e60b3cff29e8d6aaa7c.jpg

 

This shows vaguely the head of the emperor to the right with the surrounding text. Is that DNVA or VALE? The diadem binds are rather long and prominent. 

At the reverse the figure of Victory is discentered, but quite sharp. I read ECVRITA, the middle of Securitas. 

Flipovera.jpg.e9f20c324c165ac7937087d6937df687.jpg

It helps if you turn the coin to see the doubles. The head on the other side is very vague, you only see the back of the emperor's head with his ear and diadem at the far right, the rest is off the coin. And there's a small but critical piece of the surrounding text: NTINI. 

Flipoverb.jpg.edfb5aa675bd4318f755c97c61c37f5f.jpg

The Victory side is equally small and critical: the beginning of the word SEC(VRITAS) plus a part of the exergue: ALE ! This can only mean Alexandria. 

Thus we have a small bronze of VALENTINIan with Victory and SECVRITAs minted in ALExandria. I wanted to ask you which Valentinian!

My idea is, based on viewing a few coins on Wildwinds, that it's Valentinian I. Partly because of the longish diadem binds. 

-- Paul

This is my first post on this forum, may there be more in the future. Some of you might know me from other forums.

All suggestions are welcome, I'm not very good at technical things. 

 

Paul, Welcome to the hottest ancient coin forum in the USA ☺️. Pictured below is the only flip-over double strike in my collection.

Zenoflip-overSolidus(3).jpg.3dc87036e787c57f4621281c89be2f53.jpg

By rotating the reverse image 90 degrees CCW elements of the obverse impression are clearly visible on the reverse.

ZenoerrorDDFO.jpg.2802d2bff7fbe06996eaaa8ec03e7fea.jpg

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I have a coin though... This is not gold, but green. I was going to post it in this thread, but as usual I was way too late for St. Patrick's Day. 

It's a large bronze coin, a Greek Imperial Roman from Thracia or Moesia, but only the obverse is there: the reverse is negative. One wonders about the history of the thing. It can hardly have circulated as a coin, but maybe it was used as a decoration. 29 mm, 15.45 gr. 

3203ERs.jpg.74361ff9d43fee841430bd188e53a167.jpg

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This coin provides evidence that a single obverse die was combined with two different reverse dies and in this case two different reverse types on alternate strikes. This was likely to prevent overheating of the reverse die.

Evidence of a lateral double strike on the obverse:-

RI_064sv_obva.JPG

Rev:– FELICITAS TEMPOR, grain ear between crossed cornucopiae

RI_064sv_reva.JPG

Rev:- VICTOR SEVER AVG, Victory walking left, holding wreath in right hand, palm in left

RI_064sv_revb.jpg

 

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