I discover I have more fondness for coins of Magnentius than most of you which led to my buying two AE2's of his in the last CNG Electronic sale. I believe both to be regular issues (not barbarous as many coins are) and both are things I did not have from their mint. First is from my favorite Magnentius mint at Amiens (Ambianum) with mintmark AMB. The mint used only one workshop so there is no letter. This coin is RIC rated C2 (so common everyone owns a stack of them?) so I await each of you to post your specimen (not really). This is one of the coins that shows the emperor riding a cat faced horse. RIC 4 (the common one) has the barbarian victim kneeling in front of the horse but there is RIC 3 rated R with the victim under the horse. I will have to be looking for that one. Magnentius corrected the standard Falling Horseman type, IMHO, giving the victorious Roman the horse instead of the victim. Can someone offer an explanation of the haloed cat headed horse? There is a rare coin of Magnentius from another mint with the standard FH reverse. That is the one I really want. The Amiens mint is thought to have been the result of a move of the Trier mint which was considered in jeopardy of being lost. RIC dates this coin as 350 which is consistent with the high weight (mine is 5.48g) and the lack of the type for Decentius. My Trier example is broken but has a better cat. The second coin is a new type to my collection and from the earliest period is "before 3 June, 350 AD" (RIC 177) from Rome. The emperor is shown with foot on captive. In this common (C) version he holds a standard with eagle on the flag at top rather than a eagle on globe found on the rare (R3) version. This example has a very typical Rome mint portrait not like that of other mints. I forgot to mention: I love those soldier boots! Post your Magnentius coins or anyone from 350 AD.
I do not have any of the issues of Magnentius, @dougsmit. I have kept my eyes open for a specimen but have had not much luck. This is the first time I have seen better examples so I can really make out the cat's head. Kind of crazy. It looks like the first coin was almost a transitional piece which was based on maybe a bad engraving of a horse head then the features slowly morphed more and more into cat features. The skull shape around the nose area looks much more horse like than in the later examples.
Wow Doug, those are just great! All appeal to me, but I'm easy to please. Nothing like the enemy trampled underfoot or getting speared! My only Magentius: Magentius, AD 350-353 AE, 23mm, 4.72g; 12h Obv.: [DN MAGEN]-TIVS PF A[VG] Rev.: [SAL]VS DD NN A[VG ET CAAES]; Large Chi-Rho with A to left, W right
Doug, those are exceptional examples, filled with incredible and interesting devices..... LOVE those boots and I can't explain either the cat head or that halo/lasso thing which has me utterly perplexed LOL My Magnentius is of the more 'boring' type:
One of these cat-horse coins from Amiens will make me quite happy when it joins my collection one day. Your new one is very nice, and I like the broken arrows on both of them.
It is a round shield held in the rider's left hand. There are similar calvary shields on other coins. What is unusual is how it is directly behind the horse's (cats) head on this coin. A really interesting set of coins. I want a cat horse now.
Doug, Fascinating coins with a wonderful write up, that cat headed horse takes the cake! I am going to have to get one.
Now those are some awesome boots! I have three examples from Magnentius and I hope to pick up the one Mikey posted... Roman Imperial: Magnentius (350-353 CE) AE2 Centenionalis, Trier (RIC VIII 269) Obv: DN MAGNEN-TIVS PF AVG; Bare-headed, draped, cuirassed bust right, A behind head Rev: GLORIA ROMANORVM; Emperor on horseback galloping right, shield on arm, wielding spear at a bare-headed enemy half-kneeling before the horse, broken spear and shield beneath the horse; TRS in exergue ex-Bridgnorth Hoard Roman Imperial: Magnentius (350-353 CE) Æ Centenionalis, Ambianum (RIC VIII-14; LRBC-10) Obv: D N MAGNEN-TIVS P F AVG; Bareheaded, draped, and cuirassed bust right; A behind Rev: VICTORIAE DD NN AVG ET CAE; Two Victories standing facing one another, holding round shield inscribed VOT V MVLT X in four lines; staurogram above; AMB in exergue ex-Bridgnorth Hoard Roman Imperial: Magnentius (350-353 CE) Æ Centenionalis, Lugdunum (RIC-112; Bastien-154; LRBC-211) Obv: D N MAGNENTIVS P F AVG; Rosette-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust of Magnentius right Rev: FELICITAS REIPVBLICE; Magnentius standing left in armor, holding Victory on globe and standard with banner inscribed with Christogram; RPLC in exergue ex-Bridgnorth Hoard
By CNG standards, those are junkers. I was lazy not shooting the boots as a focus stack but this gives the idea. Note both were shat at the same distance so the side view boot is much shorter than the front on one. From a previous post here:
