ANCIENT: Numerian

An emperor thats been high on my want list for whatever reason.

Basically an "as found" coin, tons of silvering under the crud but I dont know how to clean these types & am afraid to attempt.

Bought mainly for the portrait and good weight, 4.7g which is tough for him.

Clickable for full resolution.


Numerian (283 - 284 A.D.)
AE Antoninianus
O: IMP C M AVR NVMERIANVS P F AVG, radiate and cuirassed bust right.
R: VIRTVS AVGG, Emperor standing right, holding scepter, receiving Victory on globe from Jupiter standing left, Z in center, XXI in ex.

Antioch mint
4.7g
RIC V 466

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

I'll give you the advice you always give me: don't clean it. I think the combination of silvering and mineral deposits have distinctive eye appeal. The coin looks great to me. Two thumbs up.

 

Some around here would condemn the coin because of yucky surfaces but I have a few others like this and I have left them as is even if real beauty awaits underneath.

I like the scruff this coin has too.

And the reverse is a boring reverse type anyways so I am not fussed with it being hazy.

 

nice lookin' coin mat.

cleaning probably wouldn' t make much difference anyway..maybe some of the "brownish" stuff around the top of the crown and surrounding areas and around 10 o clock on the reverse would come off.

but looks good as is.

 

Leave it be. You'll wash off what's left of the silvering and I don't think you'll end up with as nice a looking coin as it is.

 

Yeah, cleaning doesn't seem like a great idea for this one. Cool addition Mat! Heres mine. I suppose it could also be cleaned, but I like it as is.

 

Great coin Mat, i would leave as it is..i agree with jw you'll wash that great color and silvering off..nice pick up...

 

Nice coin. The distinctive style of the Antioch mint shows through strongly in the bust. They had a particular way of illustrating the beards that make them stand out.

 

Nice Numerians, guys. Here's mine, also bearing the VNDIQVE VICTORES (translation "All your base are belong to us") reverse legend, but with two captives instead.

Z.



NUMERIAN antoninianus
4.1g, 24mm
Rome mint, 284 AD
RIC 423, RCV 12259

O: IMP NVMERIANVS AVG, radiate draped cuirassed bust right.

R: VNDIQVE VICTORES, Numerian standing left with globe and sceptre between two captives, KAS in ex.

 

Nice lookin' coin, Mat!! ... I'm always on the "don't clean it" side of the fence!!

Sadly, I don't have a Numerian to add to the thread (nice additions, fellas)

 

Numerian has coins as Caesar and as Augustus and from several mints. Each mint has a bit different style so it is not hard to talk yourself into needing more than one Numerian. My regret is that most of his reverses are pretty ordinary with just a god or personification not doing much.
Mostly because it is a little different, I'll show a Ticinum mint RIC 366p188 PRINCIPI IVVENTVT VXXI with an exceptionally severe void where the thin metal failed to fill the reverse die opposite the high relief head. As is too often the case this coin has hardly any wear and grades Fine for detail loss to the weak strike (MS15?). Note the texture in the head and void where the strike failed to erase the cast flan surface.

 

Lovely coin doug, even with the flaw.

 

Some of his reverses are more interesting. This one is unique to him with an odd depiction of the emperor using a sword.

 

Also unusual is the showing of the reverse side of the shield with handle. There are Greek coins that do this as I recall but how many Roman?

 

Nice, I assume this is one of his rarest reverses too?

 

http://www.acsearch.info/record.html?id=350979
The above text says 7 known. Who knows?

 

Ha!

Nice translation, I bet that's exactly what they meant.

 

I would agree not trying to clean Mat. Those silver wash coins are the most difficult of all ancients to clean, with the end result frequently much worst than what you started with.

Cool pickup.

 

The above text says 7 known. Who knows?
At this moment I do have seven specimen in my database...... coincidance?

 

I think that the 7 reflects the examples cited by Bastien combined with the ones that we are aware of that are in a couple of private collections e.g. EdDop and mine and the others that have been seen to come on to the market in the last few years.