A new coin from a group of 19 coins that just arrived. Trajan Decius, 249-251. Antoninianus, (2.7g, 21mm) Rome. IMP C M Q TRAIANVS DECIVS AVG . Rev. GENIVS EXERC ILLVRICIANI It came with an old auction tag from Otto Helbig Nachf Auction 86 held in Munich in 1942. - auction listing It looks like it is over-struck on a denarius.. Maybe Serverus Alexander.. I can see the back of a head on the reverse.. + Here is everything that i just got. Mostly 3rd century Denarii/Antoninianii.. all of the coins came with tags from the same 1942 auction.. supposedly old stock from the company, but Idk why they were all kept together for 80 years..
Very interesting grouping. Not just the coins but also that an auction in Munich was happening just as the USAAF and RAF was starting to drop bombs thereabouts. I wonder if wartime German auctions were had a wartime tax or surcharge of some sort? Here's my Decius with Illyria, with a boring old eBay USA provenance: Trajan Decius Antoninianus (250 A.D.) Rome mint IMP CMQ TRAIANVS DECIVS AVG bust rt/, radiate, cuirassed, draped / GENIVS EXERCITVS ILLVRICIANI, Genius stdg. l., holding patera & cornucopia, standard to left. RIC 18; Cohen 64. (4.76 grams / 22 mm)
This lot would make great material for an article regarding coin collecting and the context of this particular sale (if one could dig up details about it). Also, some types are more available at certain points. Are coins that could be considered today rare or scarce in that collection? A wonderful find nonetheless, congrats!
There are several antoniniani from this period known overstruck on earlier denarii thus doubling their face value. With some work you might ID the undertype with more certainty. Mine is over a Geta and received a page of its own on my site back in 1998. http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/feac51dec.html
Supposedly the first bombing of Munich happened in September 1942, but supposedly heavy bombing on the city didn't happen until 1944-45 I think all appear to be fairly common, I would guess if there was something really rare/ valuable among them it would have been picked out before being sold. Idk i will probably sell a few.. there were 19 more, + I got half.. so they are already split up