Lightning injures tourists at the acropolis! Gallienus, AD 253-268. Roman billon antoninianus, 3.10 g, 20.1 mm, 6 h. Rome, AD 261. Obv: IMP GALLIENVS AVG, radiate head, right, both ribbons behind. Rev: IOVI VLTORI, Jupiter standing, head right, holding lightning bold in right hand, cloak flying right; S in left field. Refs: RIC 53; Göbl 348e; RCV 10247 var.; Cohen 407. Post your coins of lightning bolts, especially if they are being hurled by Zeus/Jupiter!
I've only got 2 thunder bolts in my collection. Unfortunately, neither are being hurtled by Zeus/Jupiter. Neither are in spectacular shape either. Antoninus Pius Æ Sestertius. Obv: ANTONINVS AVG PI-VS P P TR P COS III, laureate and cuirassed bust right Rev: PROVIDENTI-AE DEORVM S C, winged thunderbolt Antoninus Pius Denarius Obv: ANTONINVS AVG PIVS PP Laureate head right. Rev: COS IIII Thunderbolt on decorated altar.
Lightning bolt being hurled by Zeus not apparent on this one, but apropos of the thread topic, it was issued in Athens. ATTICA, Athens AE17. 8.02g, 18.1mm. ATTICA, Athens, 87/6 BC. Struck under Mithradates VI of Pontos, and the Athenian tyrant Aristion. SNG Cop 307; HGC 4, 1710. O: Head of Athena, wearing crested Corinthian helmet to right. R: A-Ε/Θ Zeus standing right, hurling thunderbolt; to right, star between two crescents. Struck during the First Mithridatic War, when the city was under the control of the tyrant Aristion, an ally of Mithridates VI against Rome. Soon after, Athens would be besieged and sacked by Sulla.
Commodus M COMM ANT P FEL AVG BRIT laureate head right OPTIME MAXIME Juppiter sanding left holding thunderbolt and scepter CVPP Rome 149 AD SEAR 5664
A pulvinar type struck under Titus - thunderbolt on seat. Titus AR Denarius, 3.31g Rome Mint, 80 AD RIC 119A. BMC 51 var. RSC, 316. Obv: IMP TITVS CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M•; Head of Titus, laureate, bearded, r. Rev: TR P IX IMP XV COS VIII P P; Seat, draped; above, thunderbolt It's more common for the thunderbolt to be winged. Titus AR Denarius, 3.37g Rome Mint, 80 AD RIC 119 (C2). BMC 51. RSC, 316. Obv: IMP TITVS CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M; Head of Titus, laureate, bearded, r. Rev: TR P IX IMP XV COS VIII P P; Seat, draped; above, winged thunderbolt The type carried over to Domitian's reign after Titus' death. First without wings. Domitian AR Denarius, 3.18g Rome mint, 81 AD RIC 4 (C). BMC 1. RSC 554. Obv: IMP CAESAR DOMITIANVS AVG; Head of Domitian, laureate, bearded, r. Rev: TR P COS VII; Seat, draped; above, thunderbolt Later with wings. Domitian AR Denarius, 3.23g Rome mint, 81 AD RIC 36 (R). BMC 9. RSC 62. Obv: IMP CAES DOMITIANVS AVG P M; Head of Domitian, laureate, bearded, r. Rev: COS VII DES VIII P P; Seat, draped; above, winged thunderbolt
TRALLES, LYDIA CITY COINAGE AE18 OBVERSE: Laureate head of Zeus Larasios right REVERSE: DIOS TRAL-LIANWN, thunderbolt, all in wreath Struck at Tralles 200-1 BC 6.51g, 17.86 mm Mionnet 661
I believe Dea Caelestis is hurling a thunderbolt as she gallops along on lionback here, though the thunderbolt in question looks more like she's schlepping around an oversized cigar or maybe a big bean burrito. Edit- oh, wait. This is described as "thunderbolt and scepter", so maybe the burrito-like object we're seeing in her right hand is the scepter. Never mind.
RR fourée mule anon Q Fabius Labeo denarius 18mm 2.9g after 124 BC Roma X Jupiter Quadriga tbolt scepter Cr 159 obv Cr 273-1 rev
There's my little Cremna bronze. Zeus on obverse, his thunderbolt on reverse. And here's Jupiter (= Zeus) on a Roman coin of Licinius I: Licinius I. AE reduced follis, Rome, 318. Obv. Laureated, draped and cuirassed bust r. IMP LICINIVS P F AVG. Rev. Jupiter standing left, chlamys across left shoulder, holding thunderbolt horizontally, and sceptre. Wreath in left field. IOVI CONSE-RVATORI/ RQ in exergue. 20 mm, 3.34 gr.
Constantine I ("the Great"), A.D. 307-337 Thessalonica mint, A.D. 311-313 RIC 47b Obv: CONSTANTINVS P F AVG Rev: IOVI CONSER-VATORI AVGG - Jupiter leaning on scepter and holding thunderbolt; eagle with wreath at feet [dot]SM]dot]TS[dot] in exergue; E in right field 22 mm, 4.7 g.
Here's mine - an Al exandrian tet of Commodus. Also currently is my avatar. I like the desert patina on this coin - makes me think it came out of the sand somewhere in Egypt. Type: Billon Tetradrachm, 25mm, 11.06 grams Obverse: M AVΡ KOMMO ANTΩNINOC CE, Laureate bust of Commodus right Reverse: VΠAT OCTOΔ, Zeus seated left, holding scepter and thunderbolt, K theta in field Reference: Milne 2567. I earlier had misattributed this coin but @TIF set me straight.
My limited experience suggests there are more coins with Jupiter holding the bolt than ther are throwing it. Both of these are Postumus.
Septimius Severus. 193-211 AD. THRACE,. Pautalia. Æ (28mm, 13.84 gm, 6h). Obv: Laureate head right. Rev: Zeus advancing right, holding thunderbolt in r. hand and eagle in left hand over altar. Varbanov 4848, but this coin has an altar below eagle.
Diocletian, Antoninianus Rome, 290 - 291 AD, Mintmark XXI struck under Maximian, officina Z 20 x 22 mm; 3.68 g; RIC V Diocletian 167; Obv.: IMP DIOCLE-TIANVS AVG Radiate, draped, bust right Rev.: IOVI F-VLGERATORI (to Jupiter who throws the lightning), Jupiter walking l. head right, left leg drawn back, right arm up about to hurl thunderbolt, mantle draped over left arm, eagle at foot to left, XXIZ in ex.
VΠATOC TO Δ or Hypatos to D' = consul for the fourth time. For Commodus that would be the year 183. By the way, I didn't see this inscription on the coin. L KH = year 28. In the case of Commodus, the years of his reign started in the first year of his father Marcus Aurelius, being 161 - this was also the year Commodus was born. That makes 188. L KΘ = year 29.
It appears that the coins that have that reverse legend have the date below in exergue rather than in field, as in ACH's example. https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?term=VΠATOC TO Δ commodus Alexandria&category=1-2&en=1&de=1&fr=1&it=1&es=1&ot=1&images=1&thesaurus=1&order=0¤cy=usd&company= ACH's coin appears like this one: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=221467 Emmett 2567, Milne 2677