My Commodus denarius came today! :)

I can’t remember if I said I won the auction on this but it finally arrived today and I think it’s even better than I was expecting.


I’ve always found Commodus to be a very interesting Emperor even if he was a bad one.

He didn’t have that same sadistic streak that Nero had yet he still hurt Rome just as much.

When I saw the portrait on the obverse of this coin the first thing I noticed was how young he looks.

Does this mean it was minted earlier in his reign rather than towards the end?

 

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It's one of his first coins as emperor, AD 179/80, RIC 2. The coin is dated TRP V IMP III COS II. He turned 18 on 31 August 179. Virgos ... geez.

 

He's that spoiled rich kid who happened to inherit his father's massive wealth and name, yet buried it to the ground!

 

But he was 31 when he died and he only looks about 18 max in the portrait so I was just curious whether it’s possible to help date when a coin was minted based on the age he looks in the portrait.

NGC just gives a vague 177-192 date for when it was minted but I feel like we can narrow it down to 177-185 based on the fact that he doesn’t look anywhere near as old as he was towards the end of his reign.

 

I just told you he's 18 on the coin and it was minted in AD 179/80.

 

..perhaps gamer wishes to be self taught...

 

Don't you ever try to look up the coins you buy to find out more about them, including date, catalog number, symbolism, historical allusions, etc.? Those slabs tell you almost zilch. Does this slab even say who that is on the reverse, holding her rudder (no, not an umbrella!) and cornucopiae? Seriously, you're missing out on half the fun of collecting ancient coins! I know people have referred you to Wildwinds, OCRE, NumisWiki, and other popular reference sites. It's easy, I promise!

Also: I understand why you like slabs, but there's one big disadvantage: it's almost impossible to take a decent photo of a slabbed coin through the plastic. It's too bad, because yours looks like it's probably a beautiful coin.

 

Yup it’s Fortuna on the back.

I do look up the coins to learn about them and what the symbols are and what the text says and stuff.

It’s just that I like to use my brain and try to figure certain information out by using logic and reason and then if I can’t figure it out I look it up.

 

Glad to hear it.

 

I replied to him before I read your post. I always start from the newest post and work my way up with replies.

Also even though I know the answer after reading what you tell me I say what I say because I am explaining my own logic and reasoning behind why I think what I think.

 

Here is another example:

I could just go look for the answer online and know in 30 seconds with minimal effort.

But instead I think like a historian & archeologist. I put myself in the position of a scholar who has to figure out the answer for the first time before anyone knows the answer.

First I look at the fact that this coin has “OPTIMO Principi” on it. Trajan wasn’t given that title until 105 AD so I know that it has to be after that date.

Then I try to use other clues to find a more precise date.

It’s more satisfying that way in my opinion to think like an archeologist and come to an answer by myself than it is to just be given an answer.

 

Then why do you ask people here to spend their time giving the answer? Why not just explain your reasoning and conclusions, and tell us the extent to which your reasoning turned out to be correct after you did look up the answer?

 

That’s kind of what I tried to do.

I was asking if using the portrait of an Emperor to approximate a mintage date was a valid & rational way to help determine when it was minted.

Or if the age that an Emperor looks on a denarius is purely artistic and not a good piece of supporting evidence for dating a coin.

It’s important to remember that ever since my head injury in the Army I’ve had much more difficulty in using words to describe what I’m trying to say. I do the best I can and it’s extremely frustrating but sometimes it comes out wrong or is misinterpreted.

 

I'm sorry to hear that. I think the answer is, "it depends." For example, Augustus's coins never showed him aging at all. Others -- especially those whose earliest coins show them as very young, like Nero, Marcus Aurelius, Commodus, Caracalla and Geta, Elagabalus, etc. -- clearly did. And many others' reigns were so short that the question is irrelevant!

 

You can certainly date a coin by Queen Victoria's image...dunno about ancients.

 

Perhaps it's just me, but every time I see an Ancient, I can't help but imagine the scene (room, building, and people) at the moment the hammer struck the die. I also wonder what would happen to a die maker who created an unflattering image of the Emperor. ...bringing into question the accuracy of the portraits.

 

Yes exactly!

Ive always enjoyed the challenge of learning about a coin by studying it rather than just looking up everything I want to know.

Don’t get me wrong I do look up everything about my coins to learn as much as possible but I like to figure out as much as I can myself before using the answer sheet.

If I can’t find the answer myself or online I come and ask here.

It helps me practice my skills at identifying ancient coins and it’s very satisfying.

Like when I look at the reverse of a coin I like to look at the figure & symbols to see if I can identify which god/goddess is on the reverse before looking it up to see if I’m right.

I remember my very first correct identification was a coin (I think it was a quadrigatus from the Roman Republic) with a man with two faces and a beard and I identified it as Janus the God of Beginnings and Doorways.

I was really proud of myself even though I’m sure a lot of people could do it because it showed I was learning and my skills were improving even if I was still a beginner.

 

Maybe the Emperor got to see specimen examples before they produced the coins en masse?

It’s crazy how many coins they made.

Quietus ruled only a part of the Roman Empire for a few months and had 13 different coins made in his image.

 

@Gam3rBlake......Another very nice looking coin!
Here's my older looking Commodus around 7 years later..
Commodus Denarius (light weight) RIC#126
Commodus AR Denarius.Rome mint 186 AD 1.87gr 17mm
Obverse-M COMM ANT P FEL AVG BRIT, laureate head right
Reverse- P M TR P XI IMP VII COS V PP, Concordia standing front, head left, holding standard in each hand.CONC MIL (below)