uh-oh I strayed from my collecting focus, Antoninus Pius Denarius

Roman Imperial Silver Denarius, 159 AD

AP from British Museum

I do not normally buy Roman Imperial coins, but this one spoke to me. I liked the details on both the obverse and reverse. It is interesting that the portrait looks like a new die and at the same time there are strong flow marks. I thought flow marks increased with die wear. Some of the letters look to be filled with metal from previous coins (PIV of PIVS is almost missing). The flan is a bit irregular, but the coin is well centered and it looks like all of the features are there. There are plenty of AP coins on line but not many with this reverse legend and the dead bull. It is interesting how many dealer attributions are close, but the legends are not right. The seller had PIVS out of order (it is almost missing on the coin). Also they had the year wrong because they called it a TR P XII (149) instead of TR P XXII (159 AD). I do not know how to determine the mint or the RIC #... help someone.
Sear mentions that VOTA & DECENNALIA were sacrifices to one of the Roman gods for past favors.
Ok... what I know about this coin is mostly from the seller, but also the few RI books I have. I used Historical References to Coins of the Roman Empire by Sydenham to determine the mint year. This exact coin is not in ERIC I or Van Meter.

Roman Imperial Silver Denarius, Mint? 159 AD
Antoninus Pius; Born – 9/19/86, Died 3/7/161; Roman Emperor from 138 to 161
Obv - laureate head right, ANTONINVS AVG [PIVS] PPTRPXXII
Rev - Antoninus Pius standing left, holding patera over tripod. Sacrificed bull behind tripod. Head and horns to left and rump roast to right of tripod. VOTA SOL DECENN II; In Ex - COS IIII
RIC 168.
3.02g, 19mm, 7h.
About Near Extremely Fine. (this is the seller's grade, I thought this was extra wordy)

 

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Speaks to me too

 

^^^Ditto. It's a compelling coin and everyone loves ol' A-Pi

 

Well done @rrdenarius , beautiful coin! I am with you, I really do not collect Empire, but this one is very nice, and a great Emperor to have. Nice!

 

A worthy candidate for inclusion in any collection, regardless of collecting focus.

 

Good looking coin, with those details they would speak to a lot of collectors. What is this thing you call focus?

 

The attribution is Rome mint, AD 158-9, RIC 292a; BMCRE 949; RSC 1111a; RCV 4139.

 

There's a bull behind? I don't see it. @Roman Collector is correct I think. RIC 292a

 

The perspective is not quite right, but the reversed C to the left of the tripod is one bull horn. That part is easier to see in hand. My camera is heading back from repairs. When it arrives, I will try for a better pic.

 

Very Nice!!

Most of the CT gang knows I prefer Greek and Republican coinage but I seem to purchase quite a few early Imperials as well....and a number of later types too LOL.

Anyway, here's my last purchase of Antoninus:

 

Ah, maybe I can make out the horn.

 

As evidenced by my profile picture, I wholeheartedly approve of this deviation from your focus.

 

Took me a minute too, but I see that bull now. That coin is kinda like an ancient, dead animal version of Where's Waldo?

 

Nice coin... I really like it. I think it has a great portrait of an elderly emperor in his last years. The one below is my most recent A-Pi, from 138, when he was a youthful 52-year old caesar .


ANTONINUS PIUS
AR Denarius. 2.91g, 20.5mm. Rome mint, AD 138. RIC 447a (Hadrian). O: IMP T AEL CAES ANTONINVS, bare head right. R: TRIB POT COS, Diana standing right, holding bow and arrow.
Ex Archer M. Huntington Collection, ANS 1001.57.4904

Here's another one from the same year, but after he became augustus. Interesting to note that both have similar problems with split flans and clogged dies.

ANTONINUS PIUS
AR Denarius. 3.2g, 19.5mm. Rome mint, AD 138. RIC 9a var. (rev legend). O: IMP T AEL CAES HADRI ANTONINVS, bare head right. R: AVG PIVS P M TR P COS DE (sic!) II, Minerva standing left, holding Victory in her right hand and shield with her left; spear leaning on her left arm.
Note: Reverse legend should read "DES".

 

This one I have cataloged as 155-156 AD

ANTONIUS PIUS
AR Denarius
OBVERSE: ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P IMP II, laureate head right
REVERSE: TR POT XIX COS IIII, Annona standing left with corn ears & modius set on prow
Struck at Rome 155/6AD
3.1g, 17mm
RIC 249, C 983

 

@rrdenarius That's a really lovely coin. I think this one might have been my first Imperial denarius. I can't remember if it was this or a Hadrian.

 

We all need to remember that some of these 'problems' are really just characteristics perhaps showing a mint that had a problem with some part of the flan preparation process or perhaps showing management that did not see such things as ragged edges as a problem. Later Pius do not have this problem to the same degree. Collectors see this when certain issues tend to be hard to find 'properly' prepared while other issues are hard to find with even a single edge split. Early Pius coins regularly have edge irregularity. Does that mean they had a work crew lacking in skill and management who figured a coin is a coin so it makes no difference? We will never know for sure. Are coins that show the normal characteristics of their time and place worth less than ones that look unusually perfect? It would be wonderful to have diaries of someone who was there then. Many things lost to time would then be made clear.

 

An appreciation for the typically imperfect has resulted in my having a great number of junky Gallienus and Claudius II coins that I'm never going to be able to fob off to the next sucker .

 

Thats a great Pius

 

Dead bulls could be very helpful in ancient Rome, with the right haruspex.