Hey everyone, i recently purchased an ancient Roman Antoninianus and being rather new to the hobby I'm not sure about the authenticity. If anyone could provide their opinion i would greatly appreciate it! It appears to be a nice coin, the only thing i can see that I'm questioning is the bare metal showing through on the edge as you can see in the one photo where someone has nicked it though i assume thats a normal result of that happening but i'm no expert. Thanks!
Welcome, Zach! It looks fine to me. I think the legend reads Diocletian. I don't know that era well enough to tell you which mint or the exact reverse. The general description might be: Obv: IMP C C VAL DIOCLETIANVS P F AVG; radiate and draped bust right Rev: [not sure; maybe IOVI ET HERCV CONS AVGG ]; Diocletian standing right on left, holding spear, receiving Victory on globe from Jupiter (?) to right, holding scepter; Z between; XXI・ in exergue I'm sure many others can easily correct me .
Yes, that copper colour is exactly what you'd expect of the bare metal under the patina. The coin looks just fine.
Certainly Diocletian and I see no reason to doubt it. The type was issued from more than one mint but some did not name the city but just the workshop (Z= shop 7). I'll show another variation on the theme.
Also looks fine to me, unless there's a casting seam on the edge or something. That coppery spot is what's technically known as a "boo boo."
