The dealer has this identified as Aurelian Potin Tet Milne 4381, which may be correct for all I know. I do not own Milne. So, can someone verify this reference or stir me in the right direction?
I really like the style of the coin. A very interesting eagle, I really like how the eagle appears to be in motion. I don't own the references, but I can see year 4!:yes: A great coin. Potin eh? Interesting composition.
Thanks everyone and special thanks to Ardatirion for the references. I bought this coin and one other Potin Tet, a Probus, from this dealer. I'll post the other coin later after I catalog it.
Anoob, I'd love to XRF a group of these... See what differences in the medal content of the Potin making up these coins... It would be fascinating...
Full attribution (I think) Aurelian Potin Tetradrachm OBV: AUT K L D AURHLIANOC CEB, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right REV: Eagle standing left on thunderbolt, wreath in beak, D/L (year 4) left, star right Struck at Alexandria, Egypt, 29 Aug 272 - 28 Aug 273 A.D. 7.73g, 21mm Dattari (Savio) 5470-1; Milne 4381-2; Emmett 3922
Tell me what its made of with this ray gun! Windchild I totally agree! I would love to blast a bunch of coins with this bad boy ray gun! 20 grand is not bad for a real ray gun?
I'd rent one at $12 a shot... The nearby Uni has one (that I may be able to use this summer... hm...)
Believe what you wish. This piece mentions both theories. I prefer the interchangeable names theory but if you believe that potin is silverless then you might have to decide how much silver is allowable as an accidental impurity before you are forced to change your labels. At least the link points out that there is not 100% agreement on the matter. http://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=potin
BTW, remember that it is necessary to overcome the fact that surfaces and cores are not always the same material when using a speed gun. If the coin was silver washed or hoarded with other silver coins, you might get a bad reading from the surface. How deep do the XRF units penetrate? Micron? This was found to be a real problem when studying silver coins produced on blanched flans where the surface would b significantly better silver than the core. That is why some workers drilled holes in coins to gain samples below the enriched layer.
Here is my only Potin example ... Carinus Potin Tetradrachm Alexandria Mint Year 2 (283-284 AD) Diameter: 18.9 mm Weight: 7.3 grams Obverse: Laureate bust of carinus Reverse: Eagle between standards
I believe that an XRF can penentrate straight through a coin, but the differences in elements between the surface and the centre can throw off the readings by a bit, but still close to actual percent. Please correct me if I make a mistake Anoob.
The instrument would work best if the coin were homogenous. I doubt the unit can produce information about the internal structure of the coin. I am sure the technology exists. There have been great advances in NMR spectroscopy. I wonder how would you calibrate an instrument to give accurate information?
The metal content of Alexandrian tetradrachms has been extensively studied. Kenneth Harl's Coinage in the Roman Economy should be a good place to start looking.
nice looking coin jw, good details with just a bit of a rub..good info through out this post..:thumb:
