Hi all, This is my first post in ancients. I’m going to start collecting them too in edition to world coins. Anyways I read a couple posts for beginners about how and what to post for identifying a coin. Could someone tell me if my id on this coin is correct? I acquired it as part of a lot years ago and set it aside but never got to it. Forgive me if I miss or get out of order the information. Crispus VOT X flivl crispus nob caes caesar vm nostro rvm No idea what’s under wreath Thank you!
Your coin is from Thessalonica and the mintmark (under the wreath) is TSΔVI and it was struck A.D. 324.
You have a follis of Crispus. Here is the wildwinds identification: Crispus AE Follis 320-321 AD Obverse: FL IVL CRISPVS NOB CAES, laureate, draped, cuirassed bust left Reverse: CAESARVM NOSTRORVM around wreath containing VOT X, star in badge at the top. Mintmark TSΔVI
I saw both in wildwinds. Doesn't OP's have the star on top of the wreath instead of the dot? It says the dot was minted 324 AD but that the star was 320-321 AD.
You did a pretty good job. A little more about your coin and some speculation of my own. FL IVL CRISPVS NOB CAES: The obverse legend, when expanded, stands for Flavius Iulius Crispus (the) Noble Caesar. The fact that he was designated Caesar means that he’s sort of next in line to be the Augustus—that is, until his father Constantine decides to have him executed either for some sexual intrigue with his stepmother Fausta or because he perceives Crispus to be a threat to his power. The outer reverse consists of two words: CAESARVM NOSTRORVM. These two words are in the Latin genitive plural case, which often shows possession: “OF OUR CAESARS.” Of course I have to speculate what of our Caesars? I presume these are the vows of 10 years, as noted by VOT X. The plural form is accounted for by the fact that there are multiple Caesars at this time. For a fantastic discussion of votive coinage, see our own @Valentinian’s page: http://augustuscoins.com/ed/VOTA/index.html#V5
Yes, you are correct. I apologize for not paying attention...I was trying to multi-task and not doing any task well!
Nice coin and welcome to the ancient side of CT. @Gavin Richardson's page on Vota coins is well done.
@Victor_Clark: Thank you for the mintmark. I’m obviously just learning about ancients but, to me, it’s neat they had mint marks all those years ago! @furryfrog02 : thank you for the further clarification and the wildwinds link. I had no idea that was a star! @Gavin Richardson: thank you for the added information! I can see that ancient collecting is going to be very rewarding, especially getting to learn the history behind the coins and the people represented on them. @rrdenarius: Thank you! I collected in the past US coins, but really it just wasn’t enjoyable. To many cost too much for too little. And quite frankly(no offense to anyone, just my opinion) the designs never did anything for me. The exception for some reason being Lincoln cents I always have liked those. Then I moved into world coins and love the variety and history and designs! So much more interesting to me, and still collecting these too. I have been reading and looking at this forum for a bit and decided to post this coin and explore ancients! In any event holding a coin that has been through centuries of history is so amazing! On a similar note the other reason I didn’t care as much for US is all the slabs and don’t touch this or that.... coins, I feel we’re made to be held even though they are works of art. Plastic can’t communicate the history of actually touching the coin. May as well be just in a museum then. Sorry for the rant. @hotwheelsearl : Thank you for the compliment! Looking forward to expanding that with other coins!
Welcome to the darkside, friend I still enjoy collecting US coins, though only from circulation. I love world coins as well. My son and I have really enjoyed collecting ancients together. We have learned so much and it has been an amazing experience. I also agree, actually holding an ancient coin in your hands, as opposed to having it in a plastic coffin, really imparts a sense of history.
I believe the catalog numbers for the OP's coin are RIC VII 121 and Sear RCV IV 16774. The delta (Δ) that's part of the mintmark tells you that the coin was produced by the 4th Officina in Thessalonica (the "TS" part of the mintmark). The meaning of the "VI" at the end is apparently unclear; Sear says that "it would appear to refer in some way to the value of this new denomination," i.e., the billon centenionalis. See Sear RCV IV at p. 529. Sear does not classify this coin as a reduced follis.
