My First Aurelian!

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by furryfrog02, Oct 21, 2019.

  1. furryfrog02

    furryfrog02 Well-Known Member

    I got this beautiful antoninianus in the mail today. Finally I was able to find one that I could afford and I actually managed to win it. Believe me, I was on edge the entire time of the auction.

    I have been waiting and looking for an Aurelian ever since listening to the episodes about him on The History of Rome podcast. Despite only being emperor for a few years, he did some pretty impressive things and I wonder what Rome would have been like had he not been assassinated.

    I do have one question about the coin though, on wildwinds it mentions the mintmark as being XXI dot S. I can't for the life of me, see a dot between the I and S. Am I blind? Am I missing something? What's going on?! This is also my first ORIENS AVG reverse.

    Without further ado, here is my new coin (apologize for the bad pictures). I would love to see your Aurelians as well. Post em if you got em!

    Aurelian
    AE Antoninianus
    Serdica mint
    Obverse: IMP AVRELIANVS AVG, radiate, cuirassed bust right
    Reverse: ORIENS AVG Sol standing left between two captives, holding globe, right hand raised
    Mintmark XXI dot S (though I can't see the dot)
    Aurelian Antoninianus.jpg
     
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  3. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    Silly neck Aurelians...

    RI Aurelian 270-275 CE AE Ant Concordia-Milit.jpg
    RI Aurelian 270-275 CE AE Ant Concordia-Milit


    RI Aurelian 270-275 CE AE Ant receiving Globe from Jupiter.jpg
    RI Aurelian 270-275 CE AE Ant receiving Globe from Jupiter
     
  4. Andres2

    Andres2 Well-Known Member

    Nice coin, probaly struck with and without dot , here's mine:

    P1140261tt.jpg
     
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  5. Ocatarinetabellatchitchix

    Ocatarinetabellatchitchix Well-Known Member

    Congrats on your first one ! Here is the first Aurelian I bought a while ago :
    Aurelian Billon Antoninianus
    273 AD 22 mm 4.96 g
    VIRT MILITUM RIC 407
    Unattributed mint 3rd officina (ah those gamma mint...)

    2ED5071B-014D-4990-8B1E-3AC121AB32CA.jpeg
     
  6. Cucumbor

    Cucumbor Well-Known Member

  7. cmezner

    cmezner do ut des Supporter

    @furryfrog02 regarding your question
    I have seen several issues of different emperors where the dot is either missing or placed in a different position either left or right of the mintmark and have been told to use as reference the RIC number xxx (var.)

    Have two Aurelianus, this is the one in better condition:

    Rome, 270 - 275 AD mintmark VI (6th officina)
    20 x 20.5 mm, 4.89 g
    RIC V Aurelian 62;
    Ob.: IMP AVRELIANVS AVG Bust of Aurelian, radiate, cuirassed, right
    Rev.: ORIENS AVG Sol standing l. holding globe in l. and raising right; at feet, captives; mintmark in exergue VI (6th officina)

    upload_2019-10-21_16-14-51.png upload_2019-10-21_16-15-24.png
     
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  8. Marsman

    Marsman Well-Known Member

    Nice coin! My Aurelianus (again)....

    49B537A7-9DF7-48AB-90B4-915BBAA3062E.png


    Aurelianus, silvered antoninianus
    RIC V 297 var. (mintmark)
    Serdica mint
    270-275 AD
    Obv. IMP AVRELIANVS PF AVG, radiate, cuirassed bust right
    Rev. RESTITVT ORBIS, Woman standing right, presenting wreath to Aurelian; star in lower centre; mintmark KA dot A
     
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  9. Severus Alexander

    Severus Alexander find me at NumisForums

    I think that's an RIC(temp) 1775 from Rome, with –/–//XXIϛ. Pretty rare - only 2 in the database! Congrats!! I think Rome mint Aurelians are cool because he kicked their butts after the mintworkers revolted. Here's their shoddy product from just before the revolt:
    547343.jpg

    And here's my common Oriens, Milan mint:
    Screen Shot 2019-10-21 at 2.18.19 PM.jpg
     
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  10. furryfrog02

    furryfrog02 Well-Known Member

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  11. cmezner

    cmezner do ut des Supporter

    Furthermore, Aurelian leaves a very strong numismatic legacy for his five years as emperor of the Romans. His coins, 99% or more of which are Antoniniani, are ubiquitous in the inventory of any dealer who carries ancient Roman coins. Many of these are available. They turn up regularly even sold in bulk. The bust type of this series can be radiate and draped, or radiate and cuirassed. The officina letter can be S or P, and the emperor on the reverse can be laureate or radiate ! All these have the same RIC reference.
     
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  12. cmezner

    cmezner do ut des Supporter

    Last edited: Oct 21, 2019
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  13. furryfrog02

    furryfrog02 Well-Known Member

    But now looking at the link that @Severus Alexander posted....mine looks more like that I think. I'm looking at the neck and the top part of the radiate crown above Aurelian's forehead.
    Eh, what do I know though haha.
     
  14. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    http://www.ric.mom.fr/en/search/advanced
    Did you look on the site above? Using their search takes practice but they have a lot of coins. –/–//XXI(•)S(•) and –/–//XXIS are different but significant in the search so it can be good to search both ways or only fill in some fields when you are less than certain. –/–// means there is nothing in left or right fields while */–// would have a star in left field. Learn the site codes and it starts making sense.
     
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  15. furryfrog02

    furryfrog02 Well-Known Member

    I did not. I have used the site a few times before and like you said, the search takes practice...
     
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  16. Severus Alexander

    Severus Alexander find me at NumisForums

    It's easy to misake "ϛ" at the Rome mint for an S.

    RIC online (Doug's link, and my ID link) is vastly superior to Wildwinds as a reference for Claudius II through Tacitus.
     
  17. Sulla80

    Sulla80 Well-Known Member

    Congrats @furryfrog02 - here's my first Aurelian purchased ~1995, it was sold to me as a Claudius II - the metal a bit odd on this one too.
    Aurelianus Heavy.jpg
    Aurelian, AD 270-275, Siscia ~AD 271, Antoninianus
    Obv: IMP C AVRELIANVS AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right
    Rev: CONCORDIA MILI / Q (officina 4) in exergue, two Concordiae standing facing each other, holding three standards
    Size: 4.08g, 21x19mm

    And my relative of your coin - whip instead of globe, no XXI, + star
    Aurelian Oriens.jpg
    Aurelian AD 270-275. Siscia Antoninianus
    Obv: IMP C AVRELIANVS AVG, radiate and cuirassed bust right
    Rev: ORIENS AVG, Sol walking left, holding whip in left hand, with outstretched right hand, between two bound captives, S in exergue
     
  18. furryfrog02

    furryfrog02 Well-Known Member

    @Sulla80 That top coin sure does look a lot like Claudius II. Almost like the engravers just kept the same portrait for Claudius II since they still had them laying around (Quintillus wasn't around long enough!) and just changed the legends to match the new guy in charge. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle lol
     
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  19. furryfrog02

    furryfrog02 Well-Known Member

    Looking at the 2 reference pictures in the link you sent, Sol is standing on both feet. On my coin, and the one on wildwinds, he has his leg raised.
     
  20. Severus Alexander

    Severus Alexander find me at NumisForums

    Exactly. My early Rome mint example back up there ^^ is the same. These earlier Siscia issues often fetch a premium when they're recognized. Here's mine:
    Screen Shot 2019-10-21 at 3.31.47 PM.jpg
    In the auction right after the one I snagged this one, another (better strike) went for 150 euros or something! :wideyed:
     
  21. Severus Alexander

    Severus Alexander find me at NumisForums

    Hmmm... not sure that counts in RIC as a difference. Don't have time to check right now...
     
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