Congrats on the real "real" Vetranio. Sorry I've been "sleeping" on this thread. It took me a while to find the photo! I believe this was found in an uncleaned group. I didn't attempt any cleaning once I saw who it was. Vetranio 350 CE Æ Siscia mint, 5th officina. Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / Vetranio advancing right, holding spear and globe, trampling on captive; ЄSIS. RIC VIII 296; LRBC 1182. Good VF, green patina.
I see nothing I would clean without risking exposing something worse underneath. I wish more coin cleaners would subscribe to 'First, do no harm' rather than always going a step too far. Those smaller ones are not easy to find in great shape. Yours is quite acceptable IMHO.
An utterly unremarkable Vetranio, but it was 30EUR delivered. And regarding @Alegandron 's AE3, there was a time when I thought that the AE3s of Vetranio would become as common as any AE3 of Procopius and the real focus would remain on the AE2s. Boy was I wrong.
Both types also come in a version for Constantius Gallus. I have even seen these sols as Vetranio's even though Gallus did not come on the scene until after Vetranio retired. My examples both come from Sirmium but also exist from Siscia. Calling the Sirmium coins for either man and the Gallus coins from either mint 'Vetranio' is absurd since the mint and Gallus both started in 351. Some of us above have shown Vetranio coins from Thessalonika but that mint did not use the HOC SIGNO type (which was the point of this thread). Associating coins of Constantius II with Vetranio will require separating them into groups with minor details also used on the Vetranio coins but not used on the Gallus coins. I suspect students of the period can spot these from memory rather like they do the Constantius II name coins that can be associated with Nepotian. Whether they pay extra for them or not, I do not know. A coin I have not seen but would like if anyone has one is a Nepotian (RIC 203, Rome) with the obverse legend FL NEP CONSTANTINVS AVG. 350-351 was a spectacular period in Roman coinage.
Much of the interest in the coinage of the early 350s is owed to the coinge of Magnentius and to his smart propaganda moves, including the idea to introduce a large AE1.
I remember seeing my first Vetriano at my local dealer. I mistakenly passed up purchasing it, and when I got a little sense in me a couple days later it was already gone. After that I was on the hunt for one in at least equivalent condition. It took about 4 years but I finally found one that was in near as good shape. Vetranio Æ Centenionalis. Thessalonica, AD 350. D N VETRANIO P F AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / CONCORDIA MILITVM, Vetranio standing facing, head left, holding two standards with Chi-Rho banner; star above, A-B across fields, •TSA• in exergue. RIC 131. 5.60g, 23mm, 11h.
Reviving this thread as I joined the "real" Vetranio club and add the 5th officina for this issue. Vetranio, AD 350,AE, Siscia mint, 5th officina (of 5). Obv: Pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right; A behind, star before Rev: Vetranio standing left, holding labarum in each hand; star above, A in left field; •ЄSIS* Ref: RIC VIII 290
VETRANIO, AE •ASIS* Siscia, 350 6.04 g - 22 mm S 4042 - C 4 - RIC VIII 283 DN VETRANIO PF AVG, Laureate bust right; A behind. HOC SIGNO VICTOR ERIS, Vetranio standing left holding standard with Chi-Rho, crowned by Victory who stands behind; A in left field.
Vetranio issued only six AE types in his name. I have emphasized late Roman AE for many years made it a project to get them all. I managed it and wrote this website about them: http://augustuscoins.com/ed/vetranio/Vetranio.html Here is one of the coins on that page: That page links to another page which has the corresponding types for Constantius II and Constantius Gallus.
Vetranio Ae Centenonalis Siscia 350 AD Obv Head right laureate draped and cuirassed A Behind head Star before Rv Emperor standing hold two banners. RIC 285 5.29 grms 21mm Photo By W. Hansen