My 'Roach' plus three. Help me attribute.

Thank you @Theodosius for your generosity, I not only got my first 'roach' but I was surprised with three other coins, all for me to start to attribute. My pics are not the best, but hopefully these will do. One I think is what they call a Kainon aka Alaisa from Sicily but I don't have it fully attributed. This is the one with the Horse prancing left and Griffin, possibly leaping over a grasshopper? I am really not sure what is beneath the griffin. And I may have the obverse/reverse reversed, so that the Griffin should be the obverse. Also what is strange is that the horse and the griffin don't seem to be set right as far as coin turn or medal turn, but seems to be a bit off (rotation?).

Of course the nice silver roach is pretty cool.

I am not sure what the others are, my eyes don't seem to want to recognise letters really good.

 

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Ooh! Very cool coins!
#1 Appears to be a tetradrachm from Alexandria of an empress with an eagle on the reverse with wings spread facing right. Start there, I can't tell who exactly.
#3 Is an imperial coin of Tetricus II with Spes on the reverse.
#4 Should be an easy attribution by looking through Wildwinds at Gordian III... Look for coins with a LIBERALITAS AVG II reverse legend.
http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/ric/gordian_III/i.html


Josh

 

I've found the attribution for your Alexandrian coin! Do you want to know who it is?

 

Yes, please!

 

I am still looking for the exact one. There are so many to choose from.

 

#2 https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=2844140 Count the dots above the gryphon and see the denomination. Each dot is 1/12 unit. Most I see lack this but I do not know the size of your coin.

 

I see at least three/four, kind of smallish, then possibly another one or two, but it goes into the break so I don't know if it is part of something else. One of the dots (if four) is really close to the head.

 

On #1 (before Miles tells you) note the reverse has L I followed by a trace of another letter. That means the regnal date is at least year 11 (depending on the reading of that last letter). This helps a lot because it eliminates rulers who did not last over ten years. The condition of this coin makes it a lot easier to read the letters if you already know what they are. Many Alexandrian legends work that way! Start by considering only wives of 'long term' emperors.

 

On the Kainon, is that a star above the horse and rein?

 

You people are too quick on this forum! The empress is Salonina, wife of Gallienus. The regnal year is 15 of Gallienus (represented by an iota and an epsilon, 267/8 A. D.), but the epsilon is off the flan. There is a better example of one at this CoinTalk link: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/roman-province-of-alexandria.294289/page-2

 

Yes! I can definitely see one next to the horse.

 

Sorry, I forgot how to quote. The statement above references the quoted one.

 

So Number 1 is Julia Cornelia Salonina 253-268 AD; Alexandria Egypt AE Tetradrachm. Obverse: portrait of Salonina, facing right, Reverse: Eagle with outstretched wings n.r. standing wreath in its beak LIE, year 15 of Gallienus 267/268. Is this a good description?

 

Awesome help... thanks.

I have some work to do to get more detailed attribution and learn about these coins. I love them all.

 

Yes! If you like you can add the legends.

They are all interesting!

 

The Salonina Tet is really nice. Likewise the roach is pretty good too. Also, the coin of Tetricus II. You scored some good ones there @Kasia ! My understanding is that some of the empress tets are fairly rare, nor is the coin of Tetricus II all that common.

 

Looking up the Salonina in Emmett I found it interesting that she has several different variations of eagle with most issued only one year so you actually can ID this as IE even if it had no letters. Does anyone have an explanation for Salonina having Alexandrian coins dated years three through eight and eleven through fifteen but none for nine or ten? Did she offend Valerian and get set down only to be returned to favor after his death?

 

There are a few versions of your Gordian III but the key to choosing the right one is that it is an Antoninianus (radiate crown) rather than denarius (laurel) and the obverse legend is IMP CAES M ANT GORDIANVS AVG where the others are... IMP CAES GORDIANVS PIVS AVG or IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG.

Gordian III AD 238-244 Antoninianus
Obv: IMP CAES M ANT GORDIANVS AVG - Radiate bust right,
draped and cuirassed.
Rev: LIBERALITAS AVG II - Liberalitas
standing left, holding an abacus and a double cornucopia.
Rome mint: AD 239 (3rd Issue, 4th Officina)
RIC IViii, 36, page 19 - Cohen 130

 

Is that Bronze Disease on coin #2 (and possibly on coin #3 Tetricus)?
(Is it 'powdery' - can you 'pick' it off with a bamboo toothpick?)

 

I will have to check that out.