Little Romans - Trajan quadrans

For all the right reasons most of us drool over those beautiful big Roman bronzes, the sestertii, but how about some love for the little guys, the semisses and quadrantes who seem to fall through the cracks (literally and figuratively). I'm guilty of overlooking them too... I've had this Trajan quadrans for a few months now, but only just today deigned to commit it to photograph.

This is one of the issues with the bust of Hercules rather than Trajan on the obverse. One variety shows the Erymanthian Boar on the reverse. This one, which seems a little scarcer, shows the club of Hercules.

If you've got any little Imperials, semises or quadrantes, here's the place to post 'em!


TRAJAN
AE Quadrans
2.7g, 14.2mm
Rome mint, 98 - 117 AD
RIC 699; Sear 3249
O: IMP CAES TRAIAN AVG GERM, bust of Hercules right, wearing lion's skin
R: Club, S-C on either side.

 

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My only quadrans

Domitian Ae quadrans

Obv:- IMP DOMIT AVG GERM, Bust of Ceres left
Rev:- S-C, Bundle of three poppies and four corn ears
Reference:– RIC II new 243 (R). Cohen 17

 

Very nice! This is not one that I've seen before.

 

Yes, I have one, and it's in very nice shape, and I got it for cheap because it's countermarked with what appears to be a university collection stamp. It's a bit of a curiosity for that reason...the idea that counterstamping an ancient coin was once an acceptable way to indicate possession.

Roman Empire, Anonymous, Domitian to Antoninus Pius
AE Quadrans, 3.25g, Rome mint: AD 81-161
Obv.: Diademed and draped bust of Venus right.
Rev.: Dove standing right, S-C.
Reference: RIC II 24 (p. 218)
Notes: Countermark "AU" in field above dove, possibly from a university collection.

 

Interesting piece. The S-C is in a rather unusual alignment too.

 

Btw, I don't drool over the big bronzes. I have a few, to be sure, but when I've gone out of the way to buy coins for their size, I've always been more intrigued with the minute bronzes. Here's my largest sestertius next to a tiny coin of Ephesos...

 

I've always liked these little quadrans. Yours is very nice as are all the others on this thread.

TRAJAN AE Quadran
OBVERSE: IMP CAES TRAIAN AVG GERM, diademed bust of Hercules right with lion-skin on neck
REVERSE: Boar walking right, SC in ex.
Struck at Rome, 98-117 AD
2g, 14mm
RIC 702


AUGUSTUS AE Quadran
OBVERSE: IIIVIR AAAFF, altar
REVERSE: P BETILIENVS BASSVS around SC
Rome 5 BC
3.0g, 17mm
RIC 465


AUGUSTUS AE Quadran
OBVERSE: LAMIA SILIVS ANNIVS, clasped hands holding caduceus REVERSE: III VIR A A A F F around large S C
Rome 9 BC
3.0g, 15mm
RIC 420, BMC 200, S 1693


ANONYMOUS Æ Quadrans
OBVERSE: Winged petasus
REVERSE: S-C, winged caduceus
Struck at Rome, Late 1st-mid 2nd century AD
15mm, 2.36g
RIC II 32

 

Fantastic new addition, Z-Bro ... I'm lovin' the ol' club (congrats)

Augustus, Æ Quadrans
Moneeyers Lamia, Silia and Annius
Date: 9 B.C.
Diameter: 17 mm
Weight: 2.79 grams
Obverse: LAMIA SILIVS ANNIVS around Simpulum and lituus
Reverse: IIIVIR AAAFF around S.C.





... a couple of slices of pepperoni, anyone?

 

That's a really nice collection of them. The Augustus is great!

 

Thanks! Another nice Augustus... I have to get myself one of these.

 

Hey Z-Bro, I know that you wanted examples of a Roman quadran, or a Roman Semis ...

Ummm, but does a Semis from the Roman Republic pass the scrutiny-test?

Roman Republic
Post Reform Æ Semis (Anonymous)
Circa 88 BC
Rome mint
Diameter: 21mm
Weight: 5.96 grams
Obverse: Laureate head of Jupiter right; S (mark of value) behind
Reverse: Prow of galley right; S (mark of value) above; to right, dolphin downward, ROMA in exergue





... yup, good ol' Saturn on the Semis ("S")

 

Oh, and why be so picky ... do you have something against these cute lil' AE dichalkon babies? (why are you shunning these poor lil' AE buggers from Egypt?)

... it's one big melting-pot nowadays, brother Z ...



Trajan, Bronze dichalkon
Roman Provincial Egypt, unpublished variety
98 - 117 A.D.
Struck: Alexandria mint (29 Aug 113 - 28 Aug 114 A.D.)
Diameter: 13.7mm
Weight: 1.23 grams
Obverse: no legend, laureate head right
Reverse: rhinoceros walking left, L I-Z (= year 17) above




=> go on dichalkon ... go run and play with the rest of the lil' AE coins

 

Well, I picked up one of these Alexandrian dichalkoi the other week, so there was going to be another post for them, but why the heck not... play on!

 

How about Quinarii?

M. PORCIUS CATO; GENS PORCIA AR Quinarius
OBVERSE: M • CATO • PRO • PR, wreathed head of Liber right REVERSE: Victory seated right, holding palm branch over her left shoulder and patera in her right hand, VICTRIX in ex.
Utica, Africa 47-46 BC
1.4 g, 13 mm
Cr462/2, Porcia 11


AUGUSTUS AR Quinarius
OBVERSE: IMP VII CAESAR - Bare head right
REVERSE: ASIA RECEPTA - Victory standing left on cippus, holding wreath and palm, snake on either side
Uncertain Italian Mint 29-27 BC
1.7g, 13mm
RIC 276, S 1568

 

Hey, wait a minute!! => get those dirty little "AR" kids out of the pool!!




... just jokes

 

Nice! Again, I like the Augustus very much. I don't have any quinarii and had forgotten all about them.

 

Bing, this is a very interesting coin, but the attribution is incorrect. Also, it seems to be an error coin. The inscription on the obverse is SISENNA MESSALLA IIIVIR, and on the obverse, APRONIVS GALLVS AAAF. But if you look at RIC I, pp. 76-77, it would appear that the legends on your coin are reversed! Your coin would be RIC 463 if SISENNA MESSALLA IIIVIR was paired with the SC, and APRONIVS GALLVS AAAF was paired with the altar. As it is, your coin is not recorded in RIC. I know you've got RIC, so check it out when you get a chance. Very interesting...

 

Errrr ... eh-heh-heh ... did somebody say Quinarius?



Allectus. Romano-British Emperor, AE Quinarius
“C” mint
AD 293-296
Diameter: 19 mm
Weight: 2.72 grams
Obverse: Radiate and cuirassed bust right
Reverse: Galley left, with mast; waves below; QC





... yup ... good ol' Quinarius "Q"

 

Yeah, I'll have to check it out. This is one of the very first coins I purchased back in the 1980's and it came with the attribution which I never bothered to double-check. Thanks for the heads up.

 

Nice detective work!

The footnotes for RIC 447 has further clues:
"CBN 777-8 lists as imitations two coins with AAAFF on Galus Apronius obv. and IIIvir on rev. with, respectively, Messalla Sisenna and Sisenna Messalla. These do not look obviously imitative, and the transposition of AAAFF and IIIvir may be due to simple confusion in minting a thoroughly permutated series."

This would to account for Bing's coin, except that his is APRONIVS GALLVS rather than GALLVS APRONIVS. Nevertheless, I think 'mint confusion' is a good explanation. That's a ridiculous number of permutations!