I purchased this last week while trying to get my baby son to nap. I didn't think too much of it until it arrived today and I went to confirm the attribution. It is attributed as: Commodus AE24 as. Obv: Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right. L AVREL COMMODVS AVG. Rev: Victory advancing to left, holding wreath and palm, TR P II IMP II COS PP around, S C across fields. RIC 569. 177AD. But when I looked up RIC 569, it was not the same coin. In fact, I can't find an as with a radiate head and a Victory reverse at all. There is a dupondius, RIC 1474, that has the radiate head right and Victory reverse. Also it has a completely different legend on both sides. Commodus AE Dupondius. L AVREL COMMODVS AVG TR P IIII, radiate head right IMP III COS II P P S-C, Victory advancing left bearing wreath & palm. My coin is 10.80g and about 24mm. Could it just be a smaller dupondius that is lighter due to wear and being on a smaller flan? Or am I missing something completely obvious?
@furryfrog02, I see a radiate bust on your coin - I think description is off. IMP III COS II on reverse is my guess. I’d try another RIC number...
Yeah that’s why I am thinking that it is the other RIC, 1474. I don’t think the seller had it properly attributed.
better ask the experts on that @Roman Collector?: This is my Commodus- an RPC, too bad he went crazy- power will do that to ya:
Not very. I lose it on the obverse after "MODV" on Commodus. On the reverse, all I am sure of is the "OS and maybe I after that".
In this period it is quite possible for a dupondius to be lighter than an as since the red copper in the as was valued at less than the yellow brass. Wear can erase much of a radiate crown so someone could miss it. It would be nice if we could count on the crown to mean dupondius but there are exceptions that need to be learned and some coins that will still be listed as "dupondius or as". Yours is a dupondius without doubt. My examples are extreme. 7.9g - very light for a dupondius 11.7g heavy for an as Even if a dupondius the below 10.1g coin could have no radiate crown because those were reserved for the Augusti and here Commodus is just Caesar. I believe it is an as but would feel more certain if the patina did not hide the color of the metal. Many coins for women and Caesars really need to show some metal color to be certain. Unfortunately later brass coins and copper coins don't seem as distinctly different color as were the earlier ones.
I think these are die matches for the OP coin both RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1614 An obverse die match and a reverse die match:
That is a very nice coin with great, honest wear! I've got this corroded Commodus dupe that leaves much to the imagination. Commodus, AE Dupondius Struck 183-184 AD, Rome mint Obverse: M COMMODVS ANTONINVS AVG PIVS, Head of Commodus, radiate, right. Reverse: TR P VIIII IMP VI COS IIII P P, Minerva, helmeted, draped, advancing right, brandishing javelin in right hand and holding shield in left hand, S-C across field. References: RIC III 421a Size: 25mm, 8.3g Great work, @Sulla80 & @Ocatarinetabellatchitchix
I like the beard on yours @Justin Lee. Mine is little baby Commodus. Maybe just slightly less megalomaniacal at the time of minting?
Nice coin @furryfrog02 .I had as AS of a young Commodus with beautiful green patina with a roman galley on the back. It is one I had found along with many others metal detecting when I lived in Spain. I have kicked my self so many time for selling it along with a good portion of my others when I fell on hard times.
I only have one Commodus and it is not bronze. I prefer the larger size coins that are bronze , so I need to get one some day. Commodus Struck 191-192 AD Obv: L AEL AVREL COMM AUG P FEL, Commodus as Hercules right wearing lionskin Rev: HER-CVL, RO-MAN, AU-G, club of Hercules in wreath AR Denarius 16.8mm 2.18 grams RIC III 251 Rome
