I originally thought this was Licinius either, I or II, but couldn't find a match for either on wildwinds. I checked my other resource, ric.mom.fr and couldn't find a match their either. The portrait isn't someone who I am used to seeing. Can anyone give me a hint on where to start for ID'ing this thing? Apologies, the reverse didn't want to be photographed...
What I was seeing was LICI but it actually is LIC V...Ooof. Well I've had my ego knocked in the dirt today lol.
The lesson here is to get a list of the emperors names as seen on their coins and not just rely on the name by which we know them today. Included in the group are some 'foolers' where the popular name does not appear on the coins. Knowing full names will make the 'where to start' question easier. The other trick is to consider the reverse types and when they were popular. Licinius used relatively few types and would be a suspect for a coin using one of those but not so much for a reverse that looks more mid-century. This one has a fooler in the radiate crown. Licinius was one of the last to use a radiate crown on some coins so you can't rule him out because of the crown. Note below is a coin of C VAL LICIN LICINIVS using a type super common in the time of Licinius. Knowing his name Gaius Valerius Licinianus Licinius seals the deal but you would guess it might be his just from the reverse.
Thanks for the insight @dougsmit . I feel like I'm getting better at this but then have a moment, like tonight, where I realized I know nothing haha. Obviously, I don't have the years and years of experience that you all have. Perhaps one day.
My parents sent me a video of it snowing in Nebraska today. They got about 5 inches. Apparently, Winter is coming sooner than we expect. Just not the winter we want
Unfortunately, the more you learn about a subject, the more you realize that you don't know yet. This is especially true of ancient coins. That's probably what makes collecting them so addicting.
