Many people say the coins of the period following Diocletian's reform are boring because so many of them are just a figure of Genius standing. While I won't say they are boring, I will say that the real exception to their ordinary status can be found in the coins of Maxentius. Maxentius is most famous for being defeated at the battle of the Milvian Bridge by Constantine the Great but this post will try to show him as a bit of a winner in terms of coin design. Today the postman brought an AE1 (25mm, 5.92g) with a very complex reverse. Standing are the two Dioscuri, Castor and Pollux each with a horse raising one front leg. Between them is the Roman wolf and twins. Actually the wolf is a bit behind the horses which we can see because the skinny foreleg of the left horse overlaps the wolf's head. Why they did this is beyond me. The coin does not have particularly nice surfaces after a rough, amateurish cleaning but can be said to be a bit better in hand since the enlargement of the photo makes the faults stand out. The mintmark MOSTA indicates manufacture at the Ostia mint. Many of Maxentius' coins were from there. The legend is AETERNITAS AVG N (noster=our). I previously have had a similar coin but missing the wolf and twins. Maxentius also has several nice temple types including one with the wolf on the pediment. Best, but not in my collection, is a large wolf and twins alone without the Dioscuri. This last one is from Aquileia mint. I know some of you have Maxentius to show.
Maxentius AE Follis. Minted at Rome, 308-310 AD. 5.5g, 25mm OBV: IMP C MAXENTIVS P F AVG, laureate head right. REV: CONSERV VRB SVAE, Roma seated facing, head left, holding orb, in hexastyle temple with peaked roof, wreath in pediment. REF: RIC Rome 210 This is my one and only low grade Maxentius coin. One of the more common types, I do believe. I really like the first OP reverse design. I may look for one of those in the future.
Very nice stuff, Doug, I own none of him but the past 2 months I have seen many of the coin with the temple reverse available, but I have never seen the wolf you have though. Im sure its scarce though and can get pricey even with that kind of surface?
That's an excellent coin, Doug, and scarce to boot, at least in my limited experience. I've seen a handful of Castor/Pollux reverse types sans She-Wolf, but only a few with the She-Wolf, and none of them had details as good as yours. Very nice find!
My only Maxentius: MAXENTIUS Follis OBVERSE: IMP C MAXENTIVS P F AVG, laureate head right REVERSE: CONSERV-VRB SVAE, Roma, seated facing in hexastyle temple, head left, shield at side, holding globe and sceptre. Victories as acroteria, wreath in pediment. A Omega T in Ex. Struck at Rome 308-310 AD 7.6g, 25mm RIC 210
I only have one Maxentius as well ... and it happens to be a sucklin' wolf!! MAXENTIUS - AE Follis Wolf + twins, Emperor, Roma and Captive Aquileia c307AD Diameter: 25 mm Weight: 5.5 grams Obverse: IMP C MAXENTIVS P F AVG, laureate head Reverse: CONSERV - VRB SVAE, Roma seated facing, head left, within tetrastyle temple with wolf and twins in pediment, Victories as acroteria; holding globe and sceptre and presenting globe to Maxentius, captive seated between
Beautiful coin Steve....Quite a few wolf between dioscuri for sale at present on ebay and other sites......your coin is one of the best I have seen, very nice acroteria, victories and wreaths!
Thanks YOC (yah, I love my coin) => wow, that's a fantastic coin ... maybe a bit expensive, but if I have a few more glasses o' wine, who knows, eh?
Love all the coins shown so far, particularly the first one in the OP where it sort of looks like the Dioscuri are holding hobby horses. I've yet to get myself a nice Maxentius temple reverse, but I do have a Fides from Ostia and an Africa from Carthage : MAXENTIUS Follis (6.7g, 25mm) Ostia mint, late 309 - October 312 AD. RIC 45 O: IMP C MAXENTIVS P F AVG, laureate head right. R: FIDES MILITVM AVG N, Fides standing left, holding two standards, MOSTT in exergue. MAXENTIUS Follis (10.3g, 27.5mm) Carthage mint, 2nd officina, early 307 AD. RIC 57, Failmezgar 123. O: IMP MAXENTIVS PF AVG, laureate head right. R: CONSERVATOR AFRICAE SVAE, SE-F in field, Africa standing left, wearing elephant skin headdress and holding signum and tusk, at feet to left a lion with captured bull, B in exergue.
It is not just my coins. I'll challenge you to show even one of these which has a horse's rear on the flan. Some one needs to research when the stick horse was invented. I'll bet some modern guy patented the design in the 1800's. I wonder if he collected coins.
