Hello everyone. I have been reading the posts and just kind of lurking in the background for awhile. I have developed an interest in ancients and have purchased a few. I am trying to do all the research on my own, but I am stumped on this! I will give you what I know: Licinius I (306 – 324 AD) Follis (3.42G) Obverse: IMP C VAL LICIN LICINUS PF AVG Laureate Draped Bust Right. My interpretation of Obverse: IMP= Imperator, C= Ceasar, VAL=have not discovered, PF= Pius Felix, (usually together meant the emperor was "dutiful to the state" and "happy in luck".), AVG= Augustus Reverse: IOVI CONSEAVNTORI My interpretation of Reverse: To Jupiter the Protector Jupiter standing l., chlamys across l. shoulder, leaning on sceptre and holding Victory on globe in r. hand; eagle with wreath to l. on ground; B in right exergue SMK mintmark (Cyzicus) I have found quite a few of this style coin, however, I have not found a B in the exergue. I have found an epsilon symbol, a S, a Z, a H, and a few other symbols but not a B. I first thought this referred to the shift at the Mint, but this cannot be correct. So my question is: what does this B, and the other letters and symbols in the exergue, represent? Sorry for the pics!
Welcome to CoinTalk, @Texturn @dougsmit has a page about the Roman officinae system: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/officina.html
Welcome. First there is rarely reason to be concerned about the lack of a workshop letter in a series but sometimes it can be explained if you look up the coin in the real RIC rather than depending on online rip offs. The coin was produced for both Licinius and Constantine from eight workshops A through H. None are rated as common but of the eight, shop six is most common for Licinius while shop 2 (your B) is most common for Constantine. In addition their codes say the British museum has seven of the eight for Licinius lacking only B. They list officina B as being found in collection Hu (Hunterian Museum in Glascow). What does this mean to you? Nothing probably. If someone were trying to get every officina for every coin of Licinius, they might appreciate you coin more than I do. Lets just say finding someone who will pay a dollar more for it because of the B might be a problem. Why did one shop favor one ruler and another the other? I do not know. These clues may mean nothing but it is a bit interesting that you have the one the British Museum lacked in 1966 when RIC VII was written. If you were betting, would you think they might have found one since that date? The exergue is under the ground line where we find SMK. B is in the field on the right. Picky, picky!
