Probus, left facing with captives reverse

[expat]

Left facing portraits are severely lacking in my collection. So I made some amends to the situation by winning a cheap coin at a recent auction.

Probus AE Antoninianus. Siscia, 279 AD.
IMP C M AVR PROBVS P F AVG, radiate bust left, wearing imperial mantle and holding eagle-tipped sceptre / VIRTVS PROBI AVG, trophy standing between two captives. RIC 820, Cohen 942.
22 mm, 4,87 g

Post your left facing portraits or captives reverses

[Ancient Coin Hunter]

Sure here is one that happens to be Probus:
 

[ominus1]

i have one of each facing but not of captive reverse...

[Roman Collector]

Here are some lefty Probi! 

[Victor_Clark]

left facing with right facing and two captives

 

 

Licinius I & Licinius II
Ӕ nummus A.D. 318
21mm 4.2g
D D N N IOVII LICINII INVICT AVG ET CAES; laureate and draped confronted busts, together holding trophy of arms.
I O M ET VIRTVTI DD NN AVG ET CAES; Jupiter stg. Left, chlamys across l. shoulder, leaning on scepter, in front of trophy, at foot of which two captives are seated on either side.
In ex. SMATB
RIC VII Antioch –

This coin was listed in RIC VII as Heraclea 50 by Bruun, because he
thought the mintmark read SMHT[A] instead of SMAT[A]. This error was addressed by Pierre Bastien in his article “Coins with a Double Effigy Issued by Licinius at Nicomedia, Cyzicus, and Antioch.” NC 13 (1973) : 87.

[Jims,Coins]

Bronze coin (AE Antoninianus) with mint mark of XXIB, minted at Siscia during the reign of PROBUS between 276 - 282 A.D. Obv. IMP.C.M.AVR.PROBVS.P.F.AVG.: Radiate, draped bust r. Rev. ADVENTVS. PROBI.AVG.: PROBUS on horseback l., raising r. hand, captive seated in front of horse. RCS #3340RICV #632. DVM #8.

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

Pretty neat, especially the OP (and the rare double portrait coin, as well).  I love coins of Probus, although I have a grand total of two, one of which was purchased in the 1990's, the other in 2009.

[galba68]

On 4/23/2024 at 7:32 PM, expat said:

Left facing portraits are severely lacking in my collection. So I made some amends to the situation by winning a cheap coin at a recent auction.

Probus AE Antoninianus. Siscia, 279 AD.
IMP C M AVR PROBVS P F AVG, radiate bust left, wearing imperial mantle and holding eagle-tipped sceptre / VIRTVS PROBI AVG, trophy standing between two captives. RIC 820, Cohen 942.
22 mm, 4,87 g

Post your left facing portraits or captives reverses

 

[DonnaML]

Does anyone know why the percentage of left-facing portraits for Probus seems to be so much higher than for any of his predecessors?

[Tejas]

Good question and I don't know the answer. I have 125 Probus Antoniniani (a few more in fact), of which 60 are left-facing. There may be an unconscious selection bias, i.e. I may have bought more left-facing portraits than what would otherwise have been representative, but it is clear that left-facing Probus portraits are not rare and make up a significant part of his coin designs.

Edited April 26 by Tejas

[Graudenz]

Hello

In the Probus coinage, left-hand busts and mainly consular busts are nothing special. They dominated in the Rome mint (Toga Palmate and Toga Picta), but are very rare in the Ticinum mint.

[AETHER]

2 hours ago, Graudenz said:

Hello

In the Probus coinage, left-hand busts and mainly consular busts are nothing special. They dominated in the Rome mint (Toga Palmate and Toga Picta), but are very rare in the Ticinum mint.

He only said they lacked in his collection, nothing about rarity or "special" -ality. 

Edited May 8 by AETHER
DID NOT SEE DONNA's POST

[DonnaML]

Just now, AETHER said:

He only said they lacked in his collection, nothing about rarity. 

Yes, but I asked if anyone knew why there were so many left- facing Probus busts. I guess nobody does!

[AETHER]

11 minutes ago, DonnaML said:

Yes, but I asked if anyone knew why there were so many left- facing Probus busts. I guess nobody does!

He must have been left handed! Jk, idk. 

[DonnaML]

28 minutes ago, AETHER said:

He must have been left handed! Jk, idk. 

All the best people are left-handed, including me.

[expat]

23 minutes ago, DonnaML said:

All the best people are left-handed, including me.

I am left handed too. For many years when I was young, I was ambidextrous. At primary school around 6 years old, a teacher used to crack me over the knuckles with a metal ruler when he saw me writing left handed, and tell me to write like the rest of the class.

Edited May 8 by expat

[DonnaML]

37 minutes ago, expat said:

I am left handed too. For many years when I was young, I was ambidextrous. At primary school around 6 years old, a teacher used to crack me over the knuckles with a metal ruler when he saw me writing left handed, and tell me to write like the rest of the class.

I thought that went out with the 19th century! I was the only left-handed person ever known to appear in my family, but nobody ever tried to force me to change, either at home or in school. This was in the late 50s/early 60s in New York City.

[expat]

24 minutes ago, DonnaML said:

I thought that went out with the 19th century! I was the only left-handed person ever known to appear in my family, but nobody ever tried to force me to change, either at home or in school. This was in the late 50s/early 60s in New York City.

Yes, mid to late 60´s, the rules then were very Victorian even then, teachers could run the classroom as they saw fit.

[DonnaML]

7 minutes ago, expat said:

Yes, mid to late 60´s, the rules then were very Victorian even then, teachers could run the classroom as they saw fit.

British education for the win! Hey, I saw the movie "If," made in 1968, with Malcolm McDowell. 

[expat]

5 minutes ago, DonnaML said:

British education for the win! Hey, I saw the movie "If," made in 1968, with Malcolm McDowell. 

In its day, the violence, rebelliousness and sexual fantasy was almost a mirror of what was happening in real life.

[Dafydd]

I read somewhere years ago that there was a preponderance of left handedness amongst the Vikings and the gene sometimes exhibited itself as a condition known as Dupuytren's contracture. Left handedness was mentioned in the Sagas. I also remember Malcolm McDowell portraying Caligula @expat  His later role as "Little Alex" maintained the violence and rebelliousness.

 contracture

[DonnaML]

8 minutes ago, Dafydd said:

I read somewhere years ago that there was a preponderance of left handedness amongst the Vikings and the gene sometimes exhibited itself as a condition known as Dupuytren's contracture. Left handedness was mentioned in the Sagas. I also remember Malcolm McDowell portraying Caligula @expat  His later role as "Little Alex" maintained the violence and rebelliousness.

 contracture

As much as "Clockwork Orange," I remember loving "O Lucky Man" -- another Lindsay Anderson movie with Malcolm McDowell, like "If" -- when it came out in 1973. All of those movies made a big impression on me when I was a (personally non-rebellious!) teenager. Another British movie I very fondly remember from that era is "The Ruling Class," with Peter O'Toole. They just don't make them like that anymore!

Regarding left-handedness, I recall reading that left-handers comprise about 10% of the population, regardless of country.  Obviously the percentage has increased considerably over time with the removal of the social prejudice against it, and the accompanying forced right-handedness.

Edited May 8 by DonnaML

[expat]

4 minutes ago, Dafydd said:

I read somewhere years ago that there was a preponderance of left handedness amongst the Vikings and the gene sometimes exhibited itself as a condition known as Dupuytren's contracture. Left handedness was mentioned in the Sagas. I also remember Malcolm McDowell portraying Caligula @expat  His later role as "Little Alex" maintained the violence and rebelliousness.

 contracture

His role as Alex in A clockwork orange was stunning. The film was banned in England after it was claimed to be responsible for similar crimes as portrayed in the movie.

[Dafydd]

2 minutes ago, DonnaML said:

As much as "Clockwork Orange," I remember loving "O Lucky Man" -- another Lindsay Anderson movie with Malcolm McDowell, like "If" -- when it came out in 1973. All of those movies made a big impression on me when I was a (personally non-rebellious!) teenager. Another British movie I very fondly remember from that era is "The Ruling Class," with Peter O'Toole. They just don't make them like that anymore.

Gosh I'd forgotten "The Ruling Class" @DonnaML it was truly "off the wall". In my opinion Peter O'Toole's outstanding role he played was Lawrence of Arabia.

 

[Dafydd]

 

I have a fondness for the accents of many actors but as a Welshman was particularly impressed recently by this rendition of Dylan Thomas' "Do not go gently into that good night" by Michael Sheen. See below.

As I am conscious that I am drifting off the OP here is a "left hander" of mine  I always admired as an iconic coin.

 

Roman Republic - L. Cassius Longinus - Silver denarius = Rome mint, 63 B.C.

Head of Vesta left, wearing veil and diadem; 

Voter standing left, dropping tablet marked 'V' into cista on right; LONGIN•III•V downwards to right.

Crawford 413/1; Sydenham 935; RSC Cassia 10.

 

See ;