Hi. That is the first time I come across this Roman coin of Emperor Claudius. But I noticed that the letter L is almost missing. What do you say? I would also appreciate your ID comments on both obverse and Reverse. Thank you. Charles
It's not almost missing, it's missing. Period. Misspellings on Roman coins are not uncommon. In fact, I'm surprised we don't see more of them, given the engraving was all done by hand.
It is a Claudius II. Antoninianus, Antiochia mint, RIC 219. It is not listed in Cohen and seems to be rare - not to say even very rare. I just found two other items. http://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=1241015 http://wildwinds.com/coins/ric/claudius_II/RIC_0219.txt http://wildwinds.com/coins/ric/claudius_II/RIC_0219.jpg Furthermore, your item depicts a sought-after bust left and one of the most interesting reverses this emperor's coins can offer. Congratulations!
Thank you very much. That would teach me to keep up the hunt.. By the way, my coin weighs 2.91 g. Is it a billon or a bronze coin ? Charles
If there's any silver in it, I doubt it would amount to more than a few atoms. I would call it an AE Antoninianus.
I dare not clean ancient coins, I'm no expert at all. This coin is the best I've picked up during my numismatics experience. Maybe I should put it in distilled water.. By the way, how much could it be approximately evaluated at ? I appreciate your comments. Thanks.. Charles
It is difficult to predict this but I am sure your coin will fetch considerably more than an usual Claudius II. antoninianus even if it is in better shape. Even though your coin is still nice, I want to mention that those third century antoninianus collectors place emphasis rather on rarity than on perfect preservation. BTW, I would refrain from bringing bronzes in contact with moisture.
Why do some say the "L" is missing? The legend is supposed to be IMP C CLAVDIVS AVG and it is. In the photo the "L" looks more curved than usual, but that may be the results of minor corrosion and anyway the "L" is not too far from normal and is clearly there.
I'll take your word for it Valentinian. But it sure looks like the engraver put in an extra C instead of L.
I has been a few months since I posted my easily forgettable example bought in March but adding the left portrait makes your a lot more desirable. I suspect the corner of the L got knocked off in cleaning. Your coin was very thinly silver washed when new but relatively few of Claudius survive with much silver remaining.
Another very nice Claudius II. antoninianus, thank you for showing. It has a very sharp reverse depiction. On the basis of this relatively small photo of Charles' coin, one cannot make a clear statement about what happened at the lower-left part of the "L". Maybe, it is still covered by deposits.
Hi. This is a really coin talk indeed. I like this chat brothers. Now..please listen to my idea. Why would the engraver engrave the L in a way that, after long years and cleaning, it would resemble only the letter C which is originally curved in shape and happens to have been repeated twice before it? CC. I mean why did his supposedly letter L did not resemble another letter? He probably did the mistake by the fact of unintentional repetition. I hope i made clear this complicated idea.. Thanks for your care and attention. Charles
