I recently added this Ant of Trajan Decius. I love this portrait of him, very realistic, he looks older and more battle-tested...some great detail on the portrait and some nice toning as well. Trajan Decius, AR antoninianus (22 mm, 4.05 g). Rome, A.D. 250. IMP C M Q TRAIANVS DECIVS AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust of Trajan Decius right / ADVENTVS AVG, emperor on horseback left, extending arm in salute and holding scepter. RIC 11b. Naturally, they decided to pair this portrait with the oldest, most worn-out reverse die that they could find lying around the mint. (Though I suppose that if they’d used a newer reverse die, I probably wouldn’t have been able to afford this one). The reverse is an Adventus type, which shows Decius on horseback, and celebrates his arrival to Rome after defeating Philip I the Arab. His big arrival into Rome went much better than his departure from Rome...the year after this coin was struck, he was killed in battle against the Goths, earning him the distinction of being the first emperor to die in battle against a foreign enemy. Not a whole lot of good luck for 3rd Century emperors. Please share your coins of Trajan Decius, Adventus reverses, or any coin with a new obverse paired with an old worn reverse die.
My little pony: Trebonianus Gallus, AD 251-253. Roman AR antoninianus, 3.82 g, 19.7 mm, 11 h. Antioch, second series, AD 251-252. Obv: IMP C C VIB TREB GALLVS P F AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust, right. Rev: ADVENTVS AVG, Emperor on horseback, left, raising right hand and holding scepter. Refs: RIC 79; Cohen 2; RCV 9622; Hunter 56; ERIC II 44.
Here's an antoninianus of Decius with a sharp and well-struck reverse of the personification Abundantia. A bit of a traditionalist, he attempted a return to the old gods and did not favor "newer" religions including Christianity, hence persecutions were started again in his reign. Trajan Decius A.D. 249-251 AR Antoninianus, 4.1 grams, 23 mm Rome mint Obverse: IMP C M Q TRAJANVS DECIVS AVG, Radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right Reverse: ABVND ANTIA AVG; Abundantia standing right, emptying cornucopiae held in both hands. Reference: RIC IVc 10b, p. 121 From: the Arnoldoe collection
Shea19, Your antoninianus does have an excellent portrait . The coin pictured below is the only antoninianus I have of T.D. & it's a very common coin with a heavily worn reverse die like your example. Hey, for $28.00 I couldn't pass it up. Trajan Decius, AD 249-251 (struck 250-251) Rome Mint, AR antoninianus: 4.36 gm. The reverse depicts Uberitas, the goddess of plenty holding a money bag & cornucopia. RIC 28b, Sear 9384.
There really does seem to be quite a variety of these for us to choose the one we find appealing (or is it by chance the one we found first?). My reverse die does not seem quite so worn but the style makes the rider look small or on a larger horse. We know that every die was an individual endeavor but I have to wonder if there is any significance to the variations. Perhaps someone will discover a way to separate dies by different cutters or from different dates. Die studies require a lot of material and time so tend to be done on more rare coins with fewer dies. Following die states from fresh to worn and which reverse dies were used with which obverses will add even more to the list of studies that may never work up to the top of someone's 'to-do' list.
That is indeed a portrait in marvelous style! (And, I note, remarkably similar to Doug's just above.) Here's a coin I bought for its unusually realistic portrait style:
Thanks! Early, yes: RIC assigned it to Milan in 257, but since then I understand it has been reassigned to the first emission at Viminacium in 253. On what grounds I don't know, but the metal is surely part of it.
Great coins everyone, thanks for sharing. @dougsmit -the portrait style on yours is very similar to mine, I wonder if those dies were made around the same time. @Severus Alexander -love that Valerian! Much better quality metal than you usually see on those. @octavius All 4 of those are great, but I especially like that first portrait, he looks like the stress of being a 3rd Century emperor was taking its toll on him. @Al Kowsky -That was a steal at $28! @Andres2 -I definitely need to get one of those with the draco reverse, that’s on my list.
That’s a great portrait, @Shea19! I do think that Decius had some of the very best ones for the period. One of my favourites, suffering the same worn reverse die problem. TRAJAN DECIUS AR Antoninianus. 4.91g, 21.4mm. Rome mint, AD 249-250. RIC 12b; Cohen 16. O: IMP C M Q TRAIANVS DECIVS AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right. O: DACIA, Dacia standing left holding staff topped with a wolf-like head (Draco).
