If one studies the coinage of Trebonianus Gallus and Volusian, it becomes apparent that certain issues of the Rome mint feature reverse types with and without a star in the field. This phenomenon appears to be limited to the Rome mint and such varieties are not to be found on the issues for the branch mint (traditionally attributed to Mediolanum) or for Antioch. Three reverse types issued for Gallus and three for Volusian feature stars. Those for Gallus are: FELICITAS PVBLICA, LIBERTAS AVG, and PIETAS AVGG. For Volusian, these are: CONCORDIA AVGG, PAX AVGG, and VIRTVS AVGG. This thread only deals with those of Gallus; my collection of Volusian issues remains much too incomplete to illustrate them. In an analysis of the Dorchester hoard,* Mattingly notes that the issues with the star (71 examples for Gallus, 83 for Volusian) are uniformly underrepresented compared to those without the star (200 for Gallus, 195 for Volusian) by about 2-1/2 to 1. On the basis of the portraiture and other factors, he tentatively assigns the following dates to the issues. With star: Mid-August to mid-November, AD 251 (3 months). Without star: mid-November, AD 251 to mid-July, AD 252 (8 months). The meaning of the star is unclear. Mattingly muses on this issue, stating, "The star is a symbol of happy omen, but its exact significance here is uncertain," and then reports a thought-provoking postulate by Dr. Sutherland: "can it perhaps suggest the divinity of the dead Emperors, Decius, Etruscus, and Hostilian?" We shall never know. Please feel free to post any examples of Gallus or Volusian with stars or anything you feel is relevant! Here are examples from my collection. FELICITAS PVBLICA: LIBERTAS AVGG: PIETAS AVGG: ~~~ *Harold Mattingly, "The Reigns of Trebonianus Gallus and Volusian and of Aemilian." The Numismatic Chronicle and Journal of the Royal Numismatic Society Sixth Series, Vol. 6, No. 1/2 (1946), pp. 36-46 (particularly pp. 39-41).
Stars in field: HONORIUS AE2 OBVERSE: D N HONORIVS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right REVERSE: GLORIA ROMANORVM, emperor standing, head right, holding labarum & globe, star in right field, SMNA in ex Struck at Nicomedia, 392-95 AD 4.9g, 22mm RIC 46c ANASTASIUS Follis OBVERSE: D N ANASTASIVS P P AVG, pearl diademed, draped, cuirassed bust right REVERSE: Large M, star to left, cross above, star to right, officina letter below, mintmark CON Struck at Constantinople 491-518 AD 17.2g, 30mm SB 19 ELAGABALUS AR Denarius OBVERSE: IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG - Laureate, draped bust right REVERSE: P M TR P IIII COS III P P - Sol standing left, raising hand and holding whip; star in either field Struck at Rome, 221 AD 2.9g, 19mm RIC 40b, C 184 ELAGABALUS AR Denarius OBVERSE: IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, laureate, bearded and draped bust right REVERSE: SACERD DEI SOLIS ELAGAB, Elagabalus sacrificing right over lighted altar, star in right or left field Struck at Rome, 221-22 AD 2.61g, 19mm RIC 131 CONSTANTIUS I AE Follis OBVERSE: CONSTANTIVS NOB CAES, Laurate bust, right REVERSE: SAC MON VRB AVGG ET CAESS NN, Moneta standing left, holding scales and cornucopiae. Star in right field. Mintmark RT Struck at Rome 302-303 AD 8.8g, 27mm RIC VI 106a
Anastasius, 491-518 A.D. Type: Large AE Follis, 39 mm 19 grams Obverse: DN ANASTASIVS PP AVG, Diademed draped and Cuirassed bust right, star on right shoulder (rare) Reverse: Large M, Epsilon below. Cross above M, star in left field, Mintmark CON
Constantine I; Æ Follis; Ticinum OBV: Laureate, cuirassed bust r.; IMP CONSTANTINVS PF AVG REV: Mars stg r. in military attire, reversed spear in r. hand, l. hand on shield on ground, cloak across r. shoulder, star in l field; MARTI CONSERVATORI; P dot T in ex.
I have very few Stars in Reverse field for the Imperial Era. Cool observation. None from Volusian and TrebGall. Since I know NOTHING about these Stars, (I just thought they were cool), I would enjoy if there are any thoughts or comments from those who know! Hey, I know my photos stink. But, @dougsmit has commited to coming over to my house and photo-ing my whole collection for free! (Naw, just like to get his goat!) RI Julia Soaemias 218-222 CE AR Den Venus Caelestis star RIC IV 241 RI Maximinus II Daia 305-308 CE AE 20mm GENIO POPVLI Genius stndg bust of Sol cornu star H RIC IV 164b RI Macrianus 260-261 CE Usurper AR 22mm 4.4g BI Ant Spes Publica star Sear 3.10811. RIC 13 pg 581 R2 Rare RI Gallienus Silvered Æ Ant CE 263-264 AVG rad cuiras R Hercules R lion skin club star RIC 673
So what do all these apparently random stars mean on so many different coins? I always assumed they were a part of the mintmark reference. Keen to learn more about this.
One star, Volusianus: Antoninianus, Rome 252 AD 19 x 21 mm, 3.470 g Ref.: RIC IV Volusian 173; Cohen 45 (4f.); RCV 9750; Ob.: IMP CAE C VIB VOLVSIANO AVG Bust of Volusian, radiate, draped, cuirassed, right Rev.: IVNONI MARTIALI round distyle temple, Iuno Martialis seated inside; in right field, star * No star, Trebonianus Gallus Antoninianus, Rome, 252 - 253 AD 19 x 22 mm, 3.693 g Ref.: RIC IV Trebonianus Gallus 48A; Cohen 128; RCV 9656; Ob.: IMP CAE C VIB TREB GALLVS AVG radiate, draped bust to right Rev.: VICTORIA AVGG Victoria standing left, with wreath in right hand and palm branch in left
I would love to. Here's the deal. I'm not travelling to the post office. Buy the house next to mine. Being my neighbor has not made it sell. We can meet at the property line (keeping six foot spacing) and you can toss coins over the line for me to photograph. I'll return most of them sometime when the all clear is sounded.
I’ve always had a fun imagined theory that these coins with concurrent issues with no star and stars signify day shift vs night shift at the mint. This would be the same for late romans where an example of a mint mark of CONSA would be day shift and CONSA* would be night shift. This theory of mine has no backing research or anything... that I’m aware of. I’m also sure I’m probably not the only one who has had this idea. It’s just a fun way to better imagine who was making the coins. With this extra mark, you could track quality problems a bit better.
Once again you've caused me to look more carefully at coins in my collection - while I didn't find a star version, I enjoyed the post and examples from others.
As far as I know, there are never stars on T-bone's bronze. This contrasts with, say, Commodus, Elagabalus, Julia Maesa, or Julia Paula, where a star on the silver always seems to be matched by a star on the equivalent bronze issue. Does this suggest it's a control mark, and not part of the design? It does seem to raise some doubt about Mattingly's suggestion that it's an indicator of issue date. Why wouldn't it be on the bronze, then? I suppose it's possible that the star issue was indeed earlier and simply didn't include any bronze. Some of Severus Alexander's silver issues from Antioch occur both with and without star. (Antioch didn't issue any bronze of course.) What an interesting little detail! RIC 211 (Elagabalus) - always seems to have a star, all metals Dupondius, RIC 322 - always with a star, all metals. An earlier dated issue (TR P II), otherwise of the same type, seems to come only without a star.