The Mint of Serdica

[Orange Julius]

“Sofia (Bulgaria) was originally a Thracian settlement called Serdica, probably named after the Celtic tribe Serdi that had populated it. Around 29 B.C., Sofia was conquered by the Romans and renamed Ulpia Serdica. When Emperor Diocletian divided the province of Dacia into Dacia Ripensis (on the banks of the Danube) and Dacia Mediterranea, Serdica became the capital of Dacia Mediterranea. Serdica was of moderate size, but magnificent as an urban concept of planning and architecture, with abundant amusements and an active social life. Dates of operation: 272 - 282, 303 - 308 and 313 - 314 (for imperial coins). Mintmarks: SD, SER, SERD, SMSD.” Source

Getting coins from scarce mints is always fun and I only have a handful from Serdica (this one with a few unphotographed that I’ll post later). I recently received this coin of Maximinus II from Serdica and really like it. It’s listed in RIC as an R2 rarity rating for officina “B” but is unlisted for “Δ.” I was only able to find one other example from officina “Δ”, a double die match. What I also find interesting about this coin is that it’s an GENIO AVGVSTI reverse for a Caesar, when most times during this era the Caesars had a GENIO CAESARIS reverses.

While looking into this coin, I found a few CT threads about Serdica and the possible finding of the imperial mint. The article is linked here… LINK. Below are a few images from that article.

Below is the coin. And as always… Please post coins, images and articles about ancient Serdica below. Thank you!

Maximinus II. (Daia) Caesar
Obverse: GAL VAL MAXIMINVS NOB C. Bust of Maximinus II (Daia) facing right with laurel wreath.
Reverse: GENIO A - VGVSTI; Additional mark: * - Δ / •SM•SD•. Genius Augusti stands to the left, modius on head, in his right hand he holds a patera, in his left a cornucopia.
Date: 307–308 
Mint: Serdica (Sofia) (Dacia)
RIC VI 36, unlisted officina

Edited Friday at 03:08 AM by Orange Julius

[panzerman]

most interesting post/ coins, thanks for sharing. i have zero coins from serdica mint/ have 4 from siscia.

 

john

[Orange Julius]

Most of my other coins from Serdica are rough budget buys… so were not photographed. I took pictures of a few today. I have a few more but was loosing light.

Aurelian AE Antoninianus. IMP AVRELIANVS AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right / RESTITVT ORBIS, Woman standing right, presenting wreath to Aurelian, standing left, holding sceptre; */KA•A. RIC V-1 289, Cohen 192. Sear 11592v.

Tacitus, AE antoninianus. Serdica mint. IMP CM CL TACITVS AVG, radiate, draped, cuirassed bust right / CLEMENTIA TEMP, Mars standing left, holding olive branch, spear and shield. . Mintmark P. Estiot 2387 var, unpublished officina letter.
Probus Silvered AE Antoninianus. Serdica Mint, 276 AD. IMP C M AVR PROBVS AVG, radiate, draped & cuirassed bust right / RESTITVT ORBIS, Victory standing right presenting wreath to emperor standing left holding spear; star in centre field, KAB in ex.
RIC V 851v
Probus, AE antoninianus, Serdica. IMP CM AVR PROBVS AVG, radiate, cuirassed bust right / SOLI INVICTO, Sol, holding globe and raising right hand, in spread quadriga facing. Mintmark KA gamma. RIC V-2 862 var (bust type and officina).

[Orange Julius]

A couple more rough Serdica coins:

Probus, AE antoninianus, Serdica. IMP PROBVS PIVS F AVG, radiate, cuirassed bust right / VIRTVS PROBI AVG, Emperor galloping right, spearing captive before, shield beneath horse. Mintmark KA dot B dot. RIC V-2 Serdica 880

PROBUS (276-282). Antoninianus. Serdica. Obv: IMP C M AVR PROBVS P AVG. Radiate and cuirassed bust right. Rev: VIRTVS PROBI AVG / KAΓ. Probus riding horse right, holding shield and spearing fallen enemy to right. RIC 877

[Roman Collector]

Here's Severina wearing a Salonina-type hairstyle issued by the Serdica mint. That mint was the only one to render her portrait in this manner (I suspect the engravers there had no portrait of her to model her image after).


Severina, AD 270-275.
Roman billon antoninianus, 4.01 g, 24.2 mm.
Serdica, issue 8, AD 274-275.
Obv: SEVERINA AVG, diademed and draped bust right on crescent.
Rev: CONCORDIA AVGG, emperor and empress clasping hands, * in field between them; KA Δ in exergue.
Refs: RIC 16; MER/RIC temp no 2827; RCV 11703; Cohen 2.

[Heliodromus]

On 11/28/2024 at 9:45 PM, Orange Julius said:

What I also find interesting about this coin is that it’s an GENIO AVGVSTI reverse for a Caesar, when most times during this era the Caesars had a GENIO CAESARIS reverses.

It's hard to tell if these pairings are intentional are not. RIC 36 footnote suggests "Presumably hybrid", and it is certainly rare (just this one die pairing?). Not In RIC also has a single Galerius/CAESARIS pairing.

At the same 307-308 date (i.e. when these new reverses are introduced), then following into the post-Carnuntum period (appointment of Licinius), Galerius' Heraclea mint also mixes up augustus/caesar reverses, but seems to do so much more frequently, so apparently deliberately.

Licinius then follows Galerius in issuing these GENIO AVGVSTI/CAESARIS types from his Siscia and Thessalonica mints. At Siscia these "muled" pairings, while scarce, seem more common, so perhaps also deliberate, but interestingly there don't seem to be any from Thessalonica.

Here's my RIC 201a, GENIO CAESARIS for Galerius from Siscia.

Edited Saturday at 02:42 PM by Heliodromus

[Orange Julius]

On 11/29/2024 at 7:53 AM, panzerman said:

most interesting post/ coins, thanks for sharing. i have zero coins from serdica mint/ have 4 from siscia.

 

john

They did mint some gold there! Here’s a nice Florian that would fit in your collection!

[Orange Julius]

6 hours ago, Roman Collector said:

Here's Severina wearing a Salonina-type hairstyle issued by the Serdica mint. That mint was the only one to render her portrait in this manner (I suspect the engravers there had no portrait of her to model her image after).


Severina, AD 270-275.
Roman billon antoninianus, 4.01 g, 24.2 mm.
Serdica, issue 8, AD 274-275.
Obv: SEVERINA AVG, diademed and draped bust right on crescent.
Rev: CONCORDIA AVGG, emperor and empress clasping hands, * in field between them; KA Δ in exergue.
Refs: RIC 16; MER/RIC temp no 2827; RCV 11703; Cohen 2.

That’s a cool coin. 7 years or so later, some engraver remembering the work he’d done in the 60s (the 260s), referenced one of his old examples to make his best guess what the empress looked like. I like that coin!

5 hours ago, Heliodromus said:

It's hard to tell if these pairings are intentional are not. RIC 36 footnote suggests "Presumably hybrid", and it is certainly rare (just this one die pairing?). Not In RIC also has a single Galerius/CAESARIS pairing.

At the same 307-308 date (i.e. when these new reverses are introduced), then following into the post-Carnuntum period (appointment of Licinius), Galerius' Heraclea mint also mixes up augustus/caesar reverses, but seems to do so much more frequently, so apparently deliberately.

Licinius then follows Galerius in issuing these GENIO AVGVSTI/CAESARIS types from his Siscia and Thessalonica mints. At Siscia these "muled" pairings, while scarce, seem more common, so perhaps also deliberate, but interestingly there don't seem to be any from Thessalonica.

Here's my RIC 201a, GENIO CAESARIS for Galerius from Siscia.

With as many coins were minted of these types and the scarcity of the mismatches, I’d guess they were not intentional but if they happened… they happened and I’m guessing nobody got too worked up about it. At least at Serdica, for this type there are just a handful of “B” officina coins for Maximinus with the AVGVSTI reverse but those from “Δ” are much more scarce. At the other mints, I’m guessing there was an attempt to keep the reverse straight with the obverse, but sometimes a shift would mint with the wrong reverse and rather than pull them in or remint them… they just released them. Oh how I’d like to go back in time and go on a mint tour, like I’ve done with the U.S. and Canadian mints.

As for your coin, that’s a pretty patina and cool that it’s Galerius with a GENIO CAESARIS reverse. I have one from the same issue but for Constantine as “FIL AVGG” with the GENIO AVGVSTI reverse. It’s worn but I like it!

Constantine I AE Follis. Siscia. AD 309-310. CONSTANTINVS FIL AVGG, laureate head right. / GENIO A-VGVSTI, Genius standing left, modius on head, naked except for chlamys over left shoulder, holding patera and cornucopiae. Crescent in left field, Γ in right field. Mintmark: SIS. RIC VI Siscia 200b.

Edited Saturday at 07:52 PM by Orange Julius

[Ancient Coin Hunter]

I don't believe I have any coins from the mint of Serdica. Very nice examples though.

[Roman Collector]

Here's one from when Serdica was just a provincial mint. 

Caracalla, 198-217 CE.
Roman provincial Æ 28.3 mm, 13.70 g, 8 h.
Thrace, Serdica, 198-217 CE.
Obv: AVT K M AVP CEVH ANTΩNEINOC, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust, right, seen from behind.
Rev: ΟVΛΠΙΑC CΕPΔΙΚΗC, Hercules standing right, forearm draped with lion skin, holding club set on ground and bow.
Refs: Ruzicka Serdica 266; Moushmov Serdica 397; Moushmov 4912; Varbanov 2355; cf. BMC 3.173,15.

[mcwyler]

GALERIUS. (AD 293-311) Follis, 6.26g. Serdica. 307-8.  GAL MAXIMIANVS P F AVG Laurate head, right. / GENIO AVGVSTI Genius, naked, modius on head, standing left, chlamys over shoulder, holding patera from which liquid flows on r. hand, cornucopiae on l. Star in l. field. Dot SM dot SD dot in exergue. RIC VI, 35.
 

[Qcumbor]

Two ex Q collection coins from Serdica :

 

Q