Rookie needs help!

Hi all you smart people! I'm a new member to Coin Talk, GREAT Site!!! I'm not only new to Coin Talk, but to collecting as well. I had a collection pasted down to me and now I'm hooked. I found this coin in the collection and was hoping someone could identify it for me....I've looked through several sites and thousands of pics.....the coin is copper.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

This is a coin of Tetricus II, the son of Gallic emperor Tetricus I. The reverse features Spes, the goddess of hope. The coin is called an antoninianus, although that is a modern term - we don't know what the Romans called these coins.

 

Do a search for "tetricus ii wildwinds" on Google and hit the first link. That will take you to a page full of coins issued in his name. I believe yours is RIC 272.

Oh, and welcome!

 

Cool coin I hope when I pass down my coins the Grandkids spend some time looking them up before putting them on eBay. Welcome you've come to the right place.

 

welcome JAY-AR!

 

Here is my example of Tetricus II with Spes reverse, although my reverse legend is SPES AVGG. Yours appears to be SPES PVBLICA, a different variety. The portraits on these coins are fairly well-engraved, but the reverses are rather crude, at least by high Roman standards...

 

How interesting! I learn more about this just reading the posts... imagine that, a two thousand year old coin that we know all about the emperor and and his brother in law... interesting stuff... thanks for posting.

 

Thanks! All of you smart peeps, I did come to the right place!

 

Welcome Jay

 

Yes you did! Welcome JAY-AR!

 

I believe there are more barbarous copies of Tetricus II than there are regular, official ones. JA's coin is the nicest I have seen; the OP coin is much more normal for the issue. They get a lot worse.

 

Thanks again!

 

Doug, not sure if I understand your post, is my coin a copy or is it genuine?

 

Yours looks official. Doug is referring to the barbarous copies of the coin one finds so frequently. It's not clear whether they were accepted as official or not, but there are so many of them available that we can assume they circulated extensively.

One can usually differentiate between official and barbarous coins by bust style. Here is a page of them at vcoins, although the line can sometimes get blurry.

 

It is genuine and normal for Tetricus II

 

Thanks John!

 

Yours is within what I consider official but I do admit there are crude officials and better barbarous that are not too far apart. I believe this is barbarous but not the worst.

 

Jay, First of all, you say "smart people". I believe that no one is smarter than anyone else. We just have been taught to learn different stuff in our lives. That is a Tetricus II from possibly the Roman Empire I have a few myself from that era. Thanks for joining. I have fun!!

 

I dunno, I think I'm pretty smart.

 

Sweet coin, JAY-AR ... that's a great new pickup ...

oh, and *welcome*

Hmmm, but I think I kinda like the barbarous ones even better (I don't have either, "yet")

Oh, and again => "welcome"