This cost me less than £3 so I am not complaining. The seller's photos were a lot better than what landed on the doormat. The coin was disappointing, nice colour, but the patina is fractured and generally pretty disgusting. I was messing around with the reverse as it was partly obscured by crud and silver bits started to show through. The coin is 27mm and weighs 9.26g so I am pretty sure that it is plated. Anybody got any suggestions as to where it is from and what is it?
Here is a link to the listing, you can see the reverse is quite yukky. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Elagabalu...xJwb%2BR8QLWSDTLPhcNE%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc I just soaked it in distilled water and got the scalpel out. I tickled it with the silver brush. It is back in the DW now.
I have just been advised it is Varbanov 4402 from Odessos. The description on wildwinds does not mention silvering. It is common to find silvered provincials?
I don't think it is plated and I don't think the denomination ever was. The photos don't suggest it, to my eye. There are silver provincials (drachms from various cities, etc.) but I don't recall silvered (in the sense of late third century Roman ants which have intentional applied surface silver) provincials other than some from Roman Egypt.
Am I likely to find a reference for this coin? Should I go with the Varbanov reference and just note that it is silver. I was unsure whether to do anything with the obverse, but I think it will have to go.
My example from this city is a posthumous Septimius Severus. I have seen several other green coins from this city so I wonder if many came from one hoard. I'm with Valentinian here and see no silver. Cities had to have permission from the emperor to issue silver. Odessos was not on the list as far as I know. If this one shows silver, perhaps it transferred from the 'tickling'. Compare: http://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=24754 It is not safe to 'farm' the Varbanov numbers here. It appears that at least 4395 to 4400 are variations of the type so you need to have the book to see what difference was the basis for the numbering.
I'm going to call it Varbanov I 4395. There are a handful of varieties in this type with different obverse legends. I believe I can make out AVPHΛI from 9 to 11 o'clock, and ANTΩNEINOC from 1 to 5. The only legend in which Aurelius is abbreviated AVPHΛI is legend F, making it coin 4395. Whatever you see that looks like silver is neither silver nor silvering. These coins are bronze through and through.
Doug the "silver" was showing before it was tickled. I don't think it is Aurelian, I am sure I can read ANTONIN on the obverse. Anyhow, I am going to take the crud off the obverse as it is not worth keeping. Perhaps more of the legend will become apparent.
Not at all! This is a very confusing business, with all the shared names. I can't tell you how many times Doug and others have corrected me when I've mixed up emperors with similar names. Nothing to be embarrassed about!
Without a name, it could always be a puzzle. Emperors Caracalla and Antoninus Pius among others had also the name Antonino engraved. Puzzles might be an interesting issue in this puzzling hobby of Numismatics. Good luck Pish..
