late Roman VOTA imitations

I have a website on VOTA types:
http://augustuscoins.com/ed/VOTA/
They are common. In the late fourth century, many are AE4s with
VOT/X/MVLT/XX in a wreath, or something similar. I just added to my pages four ancient imitations of those types (with a link at the top).

Here is one, a small coin.

It is only 9 mm and 0.42 grams. The image is a huge enlargement. The name is not clear on the imitation and the type was issued for Gratian, Valentinian II, Theodosius, and Arcadius. It is common for all of them. Here is an official example for Theodosius.


Theodosius I
13 mm. 1.52 grams
RIC Antioch 56c
mm: ANB

Can anyone show us other late Roman imitations?

 

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Thank you for the page, @Valentinian ...

I believe these are my latest VOT versions. Unfortunately, I do not believe that I HAVE any imitations


RI Jovian 363-364 AE 20mm Folles LEFT Sinister VOT V



RI Jovian AE3 Sirmium mint VOT V RIC 118

 

10mm 0.75g
Obv: pearl-diademed and draped bust with legend consisting of I’s
Rev: wreath surrounding TOV TLVM X (VOT MVLT X in retrograde)

 

wow, i wish i had some ancient coins! My oldest coin is a 1796 penny. I wish it was uncirc. but its still super shiny just not uncirc because its been touched before. I think thats what uncirc. means right? Not touched?

 

CRISPUS
AE3
OBVERSE: IVL CRISPVS NOB C; laureate head right
REVERSE: CAESARVM NOSTRORVM; VOT X in wreath; ΔSIS wreath in exergue
Struck at Siscia 321-324 AD
2.9g, 18.5mm
RIC VII Siscia 178
Ex JAZ Numismatics

CONSTANTINE II
AE Follis
OBVERSE: CONSTANTINVS IVN NOB CAES, laureate, draped & cuirassed bust right
REVERSE: CAESARVM NOSTRORVM, laurel wreath around VOT X, GSIS(sunburst) in ex.
Struck at Siscia 321-4 AD
2.90g. 18 mm
RIC VII 182,G

CONSTANS
AE4
OBVERSE: DN CONSTANS PF AVG, diademed bust right
REVERSE: / VOT XX MVLT XXX in wreath. Mintmark SMKA
Struck at Cyzicus 347-348 AD
2.4g, 14mm
RIC VIII 48

MAGNENTIUS
AE3
OBVERSE: DN MAGNENTIVS P F AVG - Bare-headed, draped and cuirassed bust right; "A" behind bust
REVERSE: VICTORIAE DD NN AVG ET CAE, two Victories standing facing each other, holding wreath between them inscribed VOT V MVLT X in four lines. Epsilon over IS in lower centre. Mintmark PAR in exergue
Struck at Arelate 350-3 AD
3.8g, 20mm
Arles RIC VIII 177

JULIAN II
AE3
OBVERSE: D N FL CL IVLI-ANVS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, helmeted and cuirassed bust left, holding spear in right hand and shield in left hand
REVERSE: VOT / X / MVLT / XX in four lines within wreath. Mintmark: CVZ Gamma
Struck at Cyzicus 361-3 AD
3.3g, 20mm
RIC 130

JOVIAN
AE3
OBVERSE: DN IOVIA-NVS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped, & cuirassed bust right
REVERSE: VOT V MVLT X in four lines across field within wreath; BSIRM
Struck at Sirmium 363-4 AD
3.0g, 20mm
RIC 118b

 

.......Lovely OP coin!!

This one is a little 12mm sweetie....A fellow collector gave me this attribution..
Arcadius, contemporary imitation. DNARCA-DIVSAVG (or similar). Note the usual "PF" is missing. The reverse prototype is SALVS REI-PVBLICAE, perhaps Nicomedia with staurogram in left field and MN[A/B/Γ] in exergue.

 

Here's my little 9mm, 0.65g imitative VOT & wreath type. The obverse is all I's (classic imitative!) but the rev may have some more characters, not sure yet. (I think the rev is oriented correctly!)

 

I don't have any late VOTA imitations. The OP coin is very cute!

I got this a long time ago from @John Anthony (his photo & finger!) - I think it imitates your type 6, SECVRITAS REPVBLICAE. Not sure of the emperor, probably Valentinian I? Or indeterminate.


Here's an imitation of Honorius VIRTVS EXERCITI Esty type 45. The neat thing about it is that it's overstruck on an official SALVS REIPVBLICAE Esty type 39! Bottom photo orients the undertype in the normal way. The back of the head and diadem are clearly visible, as is part of the reverse legend:

 

My only late(ish) imitation is below

Valentinian II - AE4 - Barbarous imitation of SALVS REIPBLICAE

Obv:– D N VALENTINIANVS P F AVG, pearl diademed, draped, cuirassed bust right
Rev:– IIII IIIIIIIIIIII. Victory advancing left, holding trophy over shoulder and dragging captive behind her. PT monogram in left field

 

What a fantastic Valentinian II imitation! Especially for an AE4 -- is it actually as small as the original?

As an enthusiast of Roman coins depicting "Barbarians, Captives, and Enemies," this one is wonderful. Most of the imitative AE4s are tiny and crude, but this one is superior artistry to most official issues. I love the detail on that captive, especially the expressive posture, absent from most official SALVS REIPVLICAE AE4s. (Also, some of my favorites are "barbarous" coins depicting "barbarian" captives, or at least a prisoner of war in this case.)

 

It comes in at between 11.5 mm and 12.7 mm.

 

Here is a late Roman imitation almost as well-done as an original:


Theodosius. AE2. 21-20 mm. 4.84 grams.
Check out the obverse legend:
DN TRODO-SIVS PF ...
which approximates
DN THEODO -- ..
and the imprecise, but not terrible, lettering on the reverse
GLORIA ROMANORVM
and ANTI in exergue.
Prototype: RIC Antioch 40d (officina numbers only go up to E).

 

Lovely Theodosius-type AE2! It's great when the imitatives show such artistry, especially with their own unique flourishes.


I always loved the bust (and the legends!) on this imitative Constantinian VLPP type AE3 (19mm). Unfortunately, not in ideal condition, but I'm sure it was at least as beautiful as the original when still fresh. Unusually for a “barb” (in my experience) it still has visible silvering:



Another I love (despite the toasted obverse) because it is a barbarous imitative of barbarian captives, showing some extra flourishes on their clothing/bindings/faces. Quite similar to this one from Leu e-10, and some of the others here, but misspelling EXERCIT as EXERCT. (I may post it along with my other captives-and-trophies in a different thread shortly):



Finally, another typical little nummus with “all-I’s”, Theodosius-style cross in wreath, quite interesting and enjoyable:

 

Here is a late Roman imitation from my collection. I bought the coin in 2002 when it was described as having been minted by "Barbarians in the Balkan". The coin is fairly heavy at 4.67 gr. I like the idiosyncratic barbarian style. The coin obviously dates to the mid 4th century. I'd love to know who made these coins or at least if "Balkan" is a plausible geographic attribution.

 

Imitations of coins of the Tetrachy are quite rare or at least rarer than imitations of the Gallic Empire or the late 4th century. In any case, here is a nice imitation from my collection that was modelled after a Tetrachy follis:

 

I also have various Constantinian imitations:

 

Those are fantastic, @Tejas ! I would also love to know the region/tribe more specifically (Balkan is quite vague; maybe a Germanic-Gothic people in that region in the 4th-5th cent?). I especially love your Fallen Horseman, as that's my favorite collecting area, but I don't have a really good imitative yet (certainly not one so heavy, those are hard to come by & really special).

In your Tetrachy Follis type, and the final coin of your Constantinian-types especially, it is very interesting that the lettering is quite distinctive and closer to the style on the first imitative I posted above, my Constantinian VLPP or "twin Victories/Altar & shield" type (again, just the link this time, though). (Also interesting that your Follis had 2 or 3 extra letters in addition to the I's, and how they chose to use them. Obv, just I's with a couple C's. Rev mixes it up much more with S's and B or O or maybe a greek...Phi? I love it.)

I've been wondering about mine for years since I brushed it off from a bag of uncleaned coins (maybe in 2005?). Where's it from? What others did they make? The "calligraphy" is quite beautiful in its own right on many of these, and especially impressive because they probably didn't speak/read Latin or write in any language at all.

 

Thank you for your interesting comments. This seems to be an under researched field of numismatics.
We had a brief discussion about imitations of Magnentius in a different thread, where I showed this recent acquisition of mine:



Somebody made the interesting comment, that these relatively common Magentius/Decentius imitations were minted during a brief period between the death of Magnentius and the battle of Argentoratum when Rome temporarily lost control over the upper Rhine area to various Alamannic war lords. I found this interpretation quite intriguing and plausible.
Roman urban life continued, but the official institutions started to deteriorate. Maybe these were the conditions also under which the many Gallic Empire imitations and the Constantinian imitations were produced.

If the fallen horseman-type was produced in the Balkan, one would have to look for such events around the middle to late 4th century where border regions started to slip away from Roman control, but where there was still enough urban life to require small change bronze coins. As you said, Goths or other East Germanic groups may have played a role.

I have one more fallen horseman imitation:



The coin doesn't photograph well, but it is quite remarkable and much nicer in hand.
I suppose there is no reliable find spot or hoard evidence for these imitations. This would really help a lot.


Best
Dirk

 

There has been some interesting work on the topic...my top three below--

Pierre Bastien, "Imitations of Late Roman Bronze Coins, 318-363" American Numismatic Society Museum Notes 30

C. E. King, "Roman Copies" Coin Finds and Coin Use in the Roman World. Berlin: Gebr. Mann Verlag (1996)

George C. Boon, “Counterfeit Coins in Roman Britain,” Coins and the Archaeologist, London: Seaby (1980)

my page with other references

http://www.constantinethegreatcoins.com/barb2/

I have references for several hoards of unofficial coins on my page including this interesting article by Matthias Pfisterer and Heinz Winter, “Eine Sammlung barbarisierter spätrömischer Münzen aus Carnuntum,” Mitteilungen der Österreichischen Numismatische Gesellschaft volume 41, no.2 (2001) :27-41 and volume 41, no. 3 (2001) : 47- 61. The authors wrote about 52 imitations found near Carnuntum, which included 37 VLPP imitations.

 

...Wow. Just wishing I had pics of any of my barbarous imitations of 4th-c. prototypes. Without knowing a fraction of what I could learn from the links on this thread, I always liked the convergence of 'barbarism' with the relative lateness of the prototypes. (...Regardless of origin.)
But, Uh-Uh, with everyone else's contributions, these are Just Stunning.