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Second Time Lucky with some Gallic Grails


Harry G

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Hi all!

A few months ago, I bid on an Elstob & Elstob auction, where I won a single lot of Tetricus ants (including a left facing Tetricus II example). I had bid on several other lots, but unfortunately, the prices were extremely high, and I was completely blown out of the water on all my other bids. I had resigned to the fact that I would never get some of the coins offered for sale, and moved on with my collecting.

However, for whatever reason, the buyer(s) of several lots didn't pay, and they were relisted and put in a different sale! As this new auction wasn't as well advertised (and didn't specialise on coins), I managed to pick up this lot of Victorinus ants for significantly less than they reached before (I believe last time, this lot reached a little over £750 after fees, and I managed to get it for around £300). There are a couple of grail coins in here, and I'm very pleased to add some scarcer coins of Victorinus to my collection!

First of all, here are all the common types that were in the lot...

img1660836499267__01.jpg.0580f0b73cacf3a128bbfd6d6c606393.jpg

Left: IMP C VICTORINVS P F AVG / SALVS AVG, Salus standing left, holding patera and sceptre, small altar at feet, entwined by a snake

Right: IMP C VICTORINVS P F AVG / PAX AVG, V - ✶, Pax standing left holding olive branch and sceptre

 

img1660836601297__01.jpg.b1f2105c9f4a9bdcedec5486b8a3901f.jpg

Left: IMP C PIAV VICTORINVS P F AVG / PAX AVG, V - ✶, Pax standing left holding olive branch and sceptre

Right: IMP C VICTORINVS P F AVG / INVICTVS, ✶ - [Partial hieroglyph], Sol advancing left, holding whip in left and raising right hand

 

img1660836772422__01.jpg.2dce505aac0c0d528450a252a2fcad97.jpg

Left: IMP C VICTORINVS P F AVG / VIRTVS AVG, Virtus standing right, holding spear and leaning on shield

Right: IMP C VICTORINVS P F AVG / VIRTVS AVG, Virtus standing left, holding spear and leaning on shield

 

img1660836817482__01.jpg.c197fd24fc611874d7b7437f4428807c.jpg

Left: IMP C VICTORINVS P F AVG / PAX AVG, V - ✶, Pax standing left holding olive branch and sceptre

Right: IMP C PIAV VICTORINVS P F AVG / FIDES MILITVM, Fides standing left, holding two standards

 

img1660836442230__01.jpg.c9b2b732e4dbac67fe93f912a077cd24.jpg

Left: IMP C PIAV VICTORINVS P F AVG / PAX AVG, Pax standing left holding olive branch and transverse sceptre. Relatively scarce with nothing in field

Right: IMP C VICTORINVS P F AVG / INVICTVS, ✶ - [half-leaf / "better" hieroglyph], Sol advancing left, holding whip in left and raising right hand

 

img1660836858899__01.jpg.8d1e2e8e7fedf836a8cc230c9548afa3.jpg

Left: IMP C VICTORINVS P F AVG / INVICTVS, [nothing] - [hieroglyph], Sol advancing left, holding whip in left and raising right hand. Unusual with nothing in the left field

Right: IMP C PIAV VICTORINVS P F AVG / INVICTVS, ✶ - [hieroglyph], Sol advancing left, holding whip in left and raising right hand

 

This heroic bust one is a type I've been after for a while!

img1660836708876__01.jpg.40c8af087f85e22d6d13b903e1cee175.jpg

Left: IMP C VICTORINVS P F AVG / VICTORIA AVG, Victory advancing left, holding wreath and palm

Right: IMP C VICTORINVS P F AVG / PAX AVG, V - ✶, Pax standing left holding olive branch and transverse sceptre. Rare with the heroic bust

 

A couple of the coins have the very long obverse legend, featuring an unabbreviated PIAVVONIVS in the obverse legend. I didn't have an example before, but now I have two!

img1660836651333__01.jpg.21beea496e1e565dec0e686a245b50cc.jpg

Left: IMP C M PIAVVONIVS VICTORINVS P F AVG / PAX AVG, [nothing] - [nothing], Pax standing left holding olive branch and transverse sceptre

Right: IMP C M PIAVVONIVS VICTORINVS P F AVG / FIDES MILITVM, Fides standing left, holding two standards

 

However, the two highlights of the lot are undoubtedly these two.

img1660836562759__01.jpg.8237c3f191b7ecfa916bf5cfb2050035.jpg

Left: IMP C VICTORINVS P F AVG / INVICTVS, [traces of ✶] - [leaf hieroglyph], Sol advancing left, holding whip in left and raising right hand. This coin contains the rather rare leaf heiroglyph in the right field. Unfortunately, there is a little bit of damage where it is supposed to be, although most of it is still visible. I've managed to find a die match to it in Mairat (see below).

Right: IMP C PIAV VICTORINVS P F AVG / COMES AVG, Victory standing left, holding wreath and palm. Coins of Victorinus with this reverse are much rarer than the standard types, and I can only see one exact match on acsearch (no mintmark in field), which sold about 6 years ago.

 

screenshot_20220818-164230__02.jpg.dc9027e7bf23d0188846e7972ad3ae83.jpg

 

Unfortunately, I do not know who this collector was (they had some amazing coins in this and their last sale), but if anyone knows, please do let me know, and I will be delighted to add the provenance!

Please show me some of your Victorinus coins, or some under-priced shenanigans...

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Very nice lot Harry. I’m happy you won it; the COMES example worth around 300€ alone since we only see about 1 for sale every year ! The VIRTVS standing left is not common at all (only 5 in Cunetio) and your INVICTVS without the star is very hard to find. Your other INVICTVS with the leaf is very interesting; it is classified as number 591 by Mairat, and there are only one in London and one in Paris (die match with yours). But it’s clear that there is a star on your specimen, unlike the example of the British Museum; so it should have its own number (maybe in a future revision?). Here are some of my leaf  examples, and another one I found a couple of months ago double die-match with the London one (without the star). By the way, I know the collector who was the underbidder the first time the lot was for sale. I don’t think he’ll be very happy that the auction house didn’t contact him to offer to buy it ! Maybe I’m better off not telling him your story…

BB588C05-11C7-4768-98ED-5B00DBEEEC44.jpeg.2e9c767caa32a4ba46fad2f4d7dd427b.jpeg

B4BCE1A0-3F6A-4D3F-AC98-2BCFD153CC42.jpeg.0684bef0a77da3adacc74477ec1afa99.jpeg

76BF906E-D3F9-4F3A-95B1-A615F5CC847F.jpeg.a4145e34a2d9263f79a5c791ba890a88.jpeg

The British Museum coin without the star and real 591:

DC150BDF-FE00-4ED5-9F45-FA2FF61C97EF.jpeg.bcd97a4a5ce190d8059b7c55013a8701.jpeg

and mine double die-matching:

7679EA64-3F96-4050-BBD4-00FDF284E5A9.jpeg.f3b59e5a63ab2e907e76ecf92eb81f02.jpeg

 

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Nice lot, there are some wonderful examples !

 

I have only one Victorinus

 

normal_Victorinus_R324.jpg

Victorinus, 268-270
Antoninianus, Köln
Obv: IMP C VICTORINVS P F AVG, Bust of Victorinus, radiate, draped, right, or bust of Victorinus, radiate, draped, cuirassed, right
Rev: VIRTVS AVG, Soldier, draped, cuirassed, standing right, holding spear in right hand and leaning on shield with left hand
AE, 2.11g, 20.3mm
Ref.: RIC 5b, p.393, 78

Edited by shanxi
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On 8/19/2022 at 2:02 AM, Ocatarinetabellatchitchix said:

Very nice lot Harry. I’m happy you won it; the COMES example worth around 300€ alone since we only see about 1 for sale every year ! The VIRTVS standing left is not common at all (only 5 in Cunetio) and your INVICTVS without the star is very hard to find. Your other INVICTVS with the leaf is very interesting; it is classified as number 591 by Mairat, and there are only one in London and one in Paris (die match with yours). But it’s clear that there is a star on your specimen, unlike the example of the British Museum; so it should have its own number (maybe in a future revision?). Here are some of my leaf  examples, and another one I found a couple of months ago double die-match with the London one (without the star). By the way, I know the collector who was the underbidder the first time the lot was for sale. I don’t think he’ll be very happy that the auction house didn’t contact him to offer to buy it ! Maybe I’m better off not telling him your story…

 

 

Thank you for your reply! The coin illustrated in Mairat (591/2) seems to have something in the left field (I'm assuming it's traces of a star), that is very weakly struck, which my coin also appears to have - maybe the mint worker attempted to remove the star from the die?

I didn't realise that Virtus standing left was particularly scarce! I always assumed they were equally as common as the other (although that explains why I didn't have an example in my collection before!)

Yours are excellent coins as always 😄

 

On 8/19/2022 at 7:48 AM, shanxi said:

Nice lot, there are some wonderful examples !

 

I have only one Victorinus

 

normal_Victorinus_R324.jpg

Victorinus, 268-270
Antoninianus, Köln
Obv: IMP C VICTORINVS P F AVG, Bust of Victorinus, radiate, draped, right, or bust of Victorinus, radiate, draped, cuirassed, right
Rev: VIRTVS AVG, Soldier, draped, cuirassed, standing right, holding spear in right hand and leaning on shield with left hand
AE, 2.11g, 20.3mm
Ref.: RIC 5b, p.393, 78

Nice piece! That patina is fantastic

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Bronze coin (AE Antoninianus) minted at Cologne during the reign of VICTORINUS between 268 - 270 A.D. Obv. IMP.C.VICTORINVS.P.F.AVG.: Radiate, draped & cuirassed bust r. Rev. INVICTVS.: Sol advancing l., r. hand raised, l. holding whip, in l. field *. RCS #3165. RICV #114 pg.396. DVM #7.

image.png.8af3b8d2c3369db7e22190e6c84ce8c3.pngimage.png.f1850bb16eb7847845272a7aa9a575e8.png

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  • 3 weeks later...

@Harry G, congratulations with this great lot. Had the lot also on my watchlist but, besides the pre-bid I already placed, totally forgot to attend the live bidding 😒

Some really great coins in this lot; especially seeing them individually.

The first one you show is IMO also special as this SALVS AVG one has a dot in the right field.

I have the following two coins (die match with yours) of this type in my own collection and so far didn’t seen another one.

40D24AB1-65A4-4ECD-A1ED-D09969A8BBDA.jpeg.206a237e0255932eef47d5951b1b9af4.jpeg

4C422198-66D2-4A74-A09B-B0F953AC8346.jpeg.2d6205448595623bd8cd279c4979e6df.jpeg

2A84A1E3-FCDC-4C63-96B8-567063BD391E.png.6f580e5eead128c724edf7268a4fc560.png

 

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9 hours ago, Agrippa said:

@Harry G, congratulations with this great lot. Had the lot also on my watchlist but, besides the pre-bid I already placed, totally forgot to attend the live bidding 😒

Some really great coins in this lot; especially seeing them individually.

The first one you show is IMO also special as this SALVS AVG one has a dot in the right field.

I have the following two coins (die match with yours) of this type in my own collection and so far didn’t seen another one.

40D24AB1-65A4-4ECD-A1ED-D09969A8BBDA.jpeg.206a237e0255932eef47d5951b1b9af4.jpeg

4C422198-66D2-4A74-A09B-B0F953AC8346.jpeg.2d6205448595623bd8cd279c4979e6df.jpeg

2A84A1E3-FCDC-4C63-96B8-567063BD391E.png.6f580e5eead128c724edf7268a4fc560.png

 

Thanks for your reply! I had no idea this variety existed, and didn't notice the dot! I would imagine it was created by the engraver accidentally starting to make a legitimate field mark for a different reverse (such as the star on Pax types)

The reverse die looks the same, although the obverse on mine seems to have a curvier nose, so maybe the obverse does are different?

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