Most recent job lot find, from a CNG lot. Initially had it set aside for a low grade lot, but then I realized the heft! Gallienus, AE (extremely heavy) antoninianus? 22mm, 6.92g! GALLIENVS AVG, Radiate draped bust right VICTORIA AET, Victory standing left I suppose it could just be an extra heavy antoninianus, but 7g is about double the standard weight for these. I know that die trials of his coins exist, could this perhaps be one?
That is pretty heavy, shame it wasn't in better shape. One of the first coins I bought when I got into ancients, mainly cause it was overweight & good silver, for him. But since then I have seen heavier issues, mainly lower silver to none. Gallienus (253 - 268 A.D.) AR Antoninianus O: IMP C P LIC GALLIENVS AVG, Radiate and cuirassed bust right. R: IOVI CONSERVA, Jupiter standing left, head turned right, holding scepter in right and thunderbolt in left. 5.1g 24mm RIC 143F (Rome) Sear 10237
Very interesting "heavy" (really heavy ant). I don't think any rulers struck a double antoninianus, so a fascinating mystery. Cool coin @Finn235 !
The early coins in "good" silver are indeed heavier, although from my experience they usually seem to fall between 3.5-5.5g presumably the antoninianus had decent buying power until the 260s, so the weight and fineness was more of a formality than anything. What really led me to believe this could be a trial strike is: - Exceptionally overweight - Extremely weak strike - Struck on a flan larger than the dies, which is pretty rare for sole reign Gallienus. And there are "double antoninianus" coins, but to my knowledge they were only struck by Ta itus and Carus, and are exceptionally rare.
Very cool! I forget who posted it but recently a beefcake ~6.95g Gordian III ant was shared. These obese outliers are quite special in my opinion, thanks for sharing! Will you keep it or sell it?
Here's another unusually heavy antoninianus. Tetricus antoninianus, 17 x 19 mm, 3 mm thick, 6.4 gm RIC 90? It almost looks like three flans fused together but if that is the case, some of the edges melted together completely because the areas of "separation" do not go all the way around.
I suggest examining the edges of the really thick coin for signs of a seam but not the kind we fear from fake coins. These coins were struck very quickly. If two blanks had stuck together without being noticed they could be struck together and 'welded' by the heat and pressure. Both Finn's and TIF's coins show a trace of this possible evidence. I have posted here several times my Valerian where the two flans were not perfectly aligned, not struck hard enough to fuse and fell apart later. When rushed to the extremes that must have been necessary to meet demands of this period, such errors should be expected.
I agree with Doug; that was my first thought; too. I have an ant of Claudius II that is most likely one half of a pair of flans that were struck together. Somewhere out there there should be the reverse of this coin without an obverse:
Interesting thread. I have a Gallienus that weighs 5.8 grams, by far the heaviest one I have. The planchet is rather thick, but not doubled, I think: Gallienus Æ Antoninianus (c. 260-268 A.D.) Rome Mint GALLIENVS AVG, radiate head right / SECVRIT ORBIS,Securitas, seated left, holding sceptre, right hand raised to head. Officina letter VI in exergue. RIC (S), Rome 278; Göbl 555g. (5.84 grams / 22 mm)
I think I know who posted it : Gordian III, Antoninianus - Rome mint AD 243 IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind SECVRITAS PERPETUA, Securitas standing left, holding scepter and resting on column 6,95 gr, 25 mm Ref : RIC #153, RCV #8661, Cohen #336 Ex FORVM ancient coins Q
