Well, this was unexpected....yet another silver roach for me (When Liberalitas goes wild)

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Sallent, May 17, 2018.

  1. Marsyas Mike

    Marsyas Mike Well-Known Member

    What a lot of nice Gordian III's - I never get tired of "roaches" and scoop them up whenever I can.

    In an effort to present the ugliest, most disgraceful Gordian III antoninianus posted here, below is an ancient fake I recently got in an eBay lot (about $2). It is copper with what looks like remnants of a silver wash (not "foil" like a true fourree, I think). The style is semi-barbarous. It weighs a respectable 3.92 grams. VIRTVS AVG reverse, perhaps? (Sorry about the worse-than-usual photos - Sol Invictus is behind clouds today).

    Goridan III Ant old fake May 18 (1).JPG
    Goridan III Ant old fake May 18 (4).JPG
     
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  3. lrbguy

    lrbguy Well-Known Member

    Despite the initial assumption in this thread that donatives served to placate the military, I found it interesting that other research into the matter puts a different spin on things. Sara Elise Phang in Roman Military Service: Ideologies of Discipline in the Late Republic and Early Principate (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 2008) p. 194 in discussing coin typology in conjunction with the military observes: "...when Liberalitas featured on coins, the recipients were almost always civilian."
    https://books.google.com/books?id=OhI1okJ5l6MC&pg=PA195&lpg=PA195&dq=roman donatives&source=bl&ots=T6Sw81GLNJ&sig=UOC-S5Z4DguD21vmE6I9Os4KWO0&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi6l-rehZLbAhULh1QKHSXXD7QQ6AEIRDAE#v=onepage&q=roman donatives&f=false

    If we assume non-military distribution for the OP coins, what would you make of them?
     
    TIF, zumbly, RAGNAROK and 1 other person like this.
  4. Carausius

    Carausius Brother, can you spare a sestertius?

    I'm sure there's some humorous derivation to the "roach" reference, but I can't figure it. A little help please?
     
    Marsyas Mike likes this.
  5. Theodosius

    Theodosius Fine Style Seeker

    I think it was Sallent who observed that Gordian IIIs coins are "common as roaches" is how it all started.

    :)
     
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  6. maridvnvm

    maridvnvm Well-Known Member

    I have only bought a couple of Gordies in recent years. Both these were in part lots. I'm sure the rest are still infesting my trays somewhere. I really need a cleanout of all the stuff I bought this way.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
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  7. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    That's an ugly one, alright! Here's my most roachy roach, never before posted at CT because it's an embarrassment. From an uncleaned lot:

    Gordian III LAETITIA AVG N antoninianus a.jpg
    LAETITIA AVG N, Laetitia standing left, holding wreath and anchor. RIC 86.
     
  8. TIF

    TIF Always learning.

    CT search shows the first mention of common ancient coins as "roaches" was indeed by Sallent, although he was referring to "widow's mite" coins. It was @Mat who first labeled coins of GIII as "roaches" in this thread about coins commonly seen. He used the term a few weeks later, then Stevex6 took up the banner, and soon everyone joined in.

    Here's one from a large mixed lot. I used the coin as an opportunity to experiment with various ways of expediting toning, since cleaning the coin left it lifeless. I've since removed this patina and am letting it tone a bit more slowly (which when left in the open at my place, is still very fast).

    GordianIIIdenarius-Toned.jpg
     
  9. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    It's weird to think we've been using the term "roach" for only a little more than a year. It seems like it's been part of this forum's culture for YEARS!
     
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  10. TIF

    TIF Always learning.

    Your intuition is correct and I was wrong. Expanding the search word to "cockroaches" shows that Mat first used the term in relation to Gordian III ants on April 8, 2014 :D

    https://www.cointalk.com/threads/gordian-iii.245257/#post-1898786
     
    Roman Collector likes this.
  11. lrbguy

    lrbguy Well-Known Member

    I wonder if calling them "roaches" grew out of calling them "ants" as in
    Like pests that can show up everywhere

    Same thread as TIF quoted
     
    Roman Collector likes this.
  12. Mat

    Mat Ancient Coincoholic

    Well, you can't say it isn't true. Most times, it's once a week we get something Gordy III related, and it's usually the "ants".
     
    Roman Collector likes this.
  13. Sallent

    Sallent Live long and prosper

    I definitely did not start using the term roaches....though I'd probably be an early adopter of the term. I first got it from Stevex6.
     
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