Yet another distraction..... This time a Numerian with Mercury. I had never seen one in person and found it attractive apart from the crrosion in the fields on the obverse but that's what made it a bargain. Numerian Antoninianus Obv:– IMP NVMERIANVS AVG, Radiate, cuirassed bust right Rev:– PIETAS AVGG, Mercury standing left, holding purse and caduceus Minted in Rome (//KAD). A.D. 283 - A.D. 284 Reference:– RIC 416 (Common). 4.13g, 21.99mm, 180o
A very nice coin... I don't have a Numerian ant but I do have a tet: Numerian, Feb/March 283 - Oct/Nov 284 A.D. Roman Provincial Egypt Billon Tetradrachm, 8.26 grams, 20.7 mm, Alexandria mint Obverse: AK M A NOVMEPIANOC CEB Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right Reverse: Athena seated left on high backed throne, wearing crested helmet, long scepter in left hand, Nike offering wreath in right hand. I particularly enjoy the patina on this coin, as well as the finely crafted reverse.
THAT is certainly cool Martin! Are Mercury coins difficult to find in LRB's? Rather, are they harder to find in Imperial coinage? I have none after Octavian... So, I will toss in my EARLIEST Roman Mercury... MERCURY RR Anon AE 19mm Semuncia 217-215 Mercury Prow Sear 620 Craw 38-7
Strange and cool coin! Why is pietas associated with mercury? A general reference to respecting the divine? Also, why KA? Isn’t that a Greek numerical designation? But this is Rome so why wouldn’t they use XXI?
Very nice coin. At one time I collected every coin I find with this standing Hermes reverse. Here is the Numerian that I had. It was silvered. The oldest one I could find was this one from Sestos with Demeter on the obverse 300 BC. The latest one was this Carinus, close in date and very similar to the Numerian. It may have been the last time the standing Hermes image was used on an ancient.
Lovely snag! I actually just grabbed an example of the same type And a Caesar too for good measure I hadn't thought of Mercury as being rare on Imperials, but then again I don't recall seeing him nearly as much as his Caduceus. One of my favorite portrayals of him is on this anonymous 1st/2nd century Quadrans
Unusual reverse on that one! Nice coin, @maridvnvm ! Nobody has posted a CLEMENTIA TEMP type yet: Numerian, Augustus AD 283-284. Roman billon Antoninianus, 4.09 g, 20 mm. Cyzicus, AD 284. Obv: IMP C NVMERIANVS P F AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right. Rev: CLEMENTIA TEMP, Numerian standing right, holding short scepter and receiving Victory on globe from Jupiter standing left, holding scepter; officina mark B in field; in exergue, XXI. Refs: RIC 463; Cohen 8; RCV 12243. Here's Mercury with a marsupium and caduceus on one of Gallienus: Gallienus, AD 253-268. Roman silvered billon antoninianus, 4.25 g, 21.3 mm, 11 h. Antioch, AD 267. Obv: GALLIENVS AVG, radiate and cuirassed bust, right. Rev: FIDES AVG, Mercury standing right, holding marsupium (purse) and caduceus; PXV (=TR P XV) in exergue. Refs: RIC 607F; Göbl 1667k; Cohen 219; RCV 10212; Hunter p. lxx.
My Numerian is from the Lugdumum mint. I have always liked the coins from this mint during this period. RIC 395 Rv Pax. 283-284 A.D.
The mint of Rome was called upon to provide pay for the Roman legions during Carus's Persian war, so the XXI mark was abandoned in favor of KA, the mark used in the East, which would have been more familiar to eastern soldiers (According to Percy H. Webb).
I had a few minutes to play around before I head off to bed. So I took your coin @Jims Coins and did a little editing. I hope you don't mind. Nice coin btw. Love the patina.
