An Emperor I Have Long Needed

Below is an emperor I have long neglected to get, but @Victor_Clark had it on ebay at a good price & finally decided to add a much needed, Magnentius, to my collection.


Magnentius (350 - 353 A.D.)
Æ Centenionalis
O: IM CAE MAGNENTIVS AVG, bare-headed, draped and cuirassed bust right.
O: Emperor standing left holding Victory on globe in right hand and labarum, A in right field. In ex. TRP
Trier mint, 351 - 353 AD
23mm
4.9g
RIC VIII Trier 264

 

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Nice!

 

Here's mine:

Magnentius, A.D. 350-353

AE Majorina, 22mm, 7.2 grams, 6H

Trier mint

Obverse: IM CAE MAGNENTIVS AVG
Bare-headed, draped, and cuirassed bust right

Reverse: FELICITAS REIPVBLICAE
Magnentius standing slightly left, head left, Victory on globe in right hand, labarum in left; A in right field //TRS, crescent in exergue

Reference: RIC VIII Trier 264

 

Nice one! This one came just last week, courtesy of @John Anthony:


Magnentius, AD 350-353.
Roman billon heavy maiorina, 4.68 g, 20.1 mm, 6h.
Arles, AD 352.
Obv: D N MAGNEN-TIVS P F AVG, bare-headed, draped and cuirassed bust; A behind.
Rev: VICTORIAE DD NN AVG ET CAE, two Victories holding wreath inscribed VOT/V/MVL/X and surmounted by chi-rho; I//PAR.
Refs: RIC viii, p. 217, 184; RCV 18823; LRBC II 441; Bastien 272.

 

Congrats on checking off the ol' Magnentius box, Mat.

This one still has quite abit of silvering on it.

MAGNENTIUS
AE Maiorina. 4.45g, 23mm. Lugdunum mint, AD 351. RIC VIII 126; Bastien 174. O: DN MAGNEN-TIVS PF AVG, barehead, draped and cuirassed bust right; A to left. R: VICTORIAE DD NN AVG ET CAE, two Victories standing facing one another, holding wreath inscribed VOT/V/MVLT/X in four lines; SV in field below, RPLG in exergue.

 

@zumbly Do you live in an Asian country (i.e china)? Because your coin looks like a fake made in china. I never imagined even a Chinese can get into the trap made by his fellow countrymen.

 

There are many variations on the Magnentius theme but my favorite would be a better specimen from Amiens with the Chi-Rho reverse. They exist full flan but not in my collection.

 

Great capture @Mat ! Nice to knock off an Emperor

No, @zumbly is not in China... I am from China.

MAGNENTIUS


RI Magnentius 351-352 CE AE 1 Chi RHO

 

Well, Mamali, you know what they say, know the coin or know the seller. This one came from Nomos, and I'd like to think that Alan Walker and Co do their part in keeping me safe from Chinese fakes and the posts of trolls. Of course, we could be wrong on both counts. If you have an intelligent opinion, I hope you'll share it.

 

Nice find Mat

 

Good catch @Mat !
Now you need a decent Decentius to go with your magnificent Magnentius


Magnentius, Maiorina Treveri mint, 1st officina,
DN MAGNENTIVS PF AVG, bare bust draped right, A behind
VICTORIA DD NN AVG ET CAE, two victories holding a wreath where is inscribed : VOT/V/MVLT/X. TRP at exergue
4.73 gr
Magnence, maiorina, Ref : Cohen # 68, Roman coins # 4024, LRBC # 56,



Decentius, Maiorina Lyon mint
DN DECENTIVS CAES, bare bust, cuirassed right
VICTORIA DD NN AVG ET CAE, two victories holding a wreath where is inscribed : VOT/V/MVLT/X. Dot and SV in field
4.46 gr
Ref : Cohen # 33, Roman coins # 4035, LRBC # 224


Q

 

There are some great coins in this thread.

I have shared some of my better examples in the past but will take the opportunity to share a recent Amiens coin (not a Chi-Rho!).

Magnentius

Obv:– D N MAGNEN-TIVS P F AVG, Bare-headed, draped & cuirassed bust right; A behind head
Rev:– VICTORIAE DD NN AVG ET CAE, two Victories standing facing each other, holding wreath inscribed VOT-V-MVLT-X chi-rho above
Mint – Amiens (//AMB).
Reference(s) – Bastien 121 (2 examples cited). RIC VIII Amiens 34

4.61 gms, 23.50 mm. 0 degrees

 

Great coins, everyone.

I'm surprised at how many have the shield/victory reverse.

 

Would anyone like to speculate why Magnentius is always bare-headed? I figure a usurper like him would be all about the iconographical trappings of victory, such as a laurel wreath. Is he trying to portray himself as some humbler alternative to those luxurious Constantinians?

 

It is by far the most common reverse for Mag. It reminds me of a joke current in 1959 when the Alaskan told the Texan to stop crying over no longer being the largest state or they would split in two and make Texas third.

 

Congrats!

I got a coin of both Magnentius and Decentius early on from uncleaned lots, but only recently upgraded them. The market is strong right now for examples in good condition.

Magnentius


Decentius


And a slightly less common sight - a barbarous Magnentius

 

Congrats at crossing another dude off the list @Mat !

I crossed this guy off my list pretty early on, here is my first Magnentius coin I picked up back in 2013 I think.