I got this tiny late Roman coin off ebay, and would like to know the attribution, however both the emperor's name and mint seems to be off the flan. It is now my smallest Roman coin at 10mm and 0.9g, dwarfed next to my largest Roman!
I enjoy the other end of the Roman History spectrum. Here are a couple small coins minted during times when Rome was pounding out and casting HUGE coins, which was typical of the Central Italia AES (Bronze) based precious metal / money system. The Aes Grave As was around 300g at this time. Huge contrast in the Early Roman Republic and Central Italia during these times. The original Sestertius = 2-1/2 As or 1/4 of a Denarius (10 As) RR AR Sestertius After 211 BCE 12mm 1.0g Rome mint Roma r IIS - Dioscuri riding stars in ex ROMA Sear 46 Craw 44-7 RSC 4 RR Anon AR Sestertius 211-208 BC Roma Dioscuri S 46 Cr 44-7 Republic AR Sestertius vs. Empire AE Sestertius RR AR Sestertius 211-208BCE vs RE AE Sestertius Marcus Aurelius 161-180 CE
And, yeah, I have those AE's from the LRB period... How the MIGHTY had FALLEN. RI Zeno 476-491 CE 2nd reign AE 10mm Monogram Johannes AE nummus 1.4g 10mm Obv: DN IOHANN-ES PF AVG, pearl-diademed, draped bust right Rev: SALVS REI-PVBLICAE, Victory holding trophy and dragging captive, Chi-Rho to left RM in ex, Rome mint (struck 423-425 AD) Ref: RIC X 1913 RI Leo I 457-474 CE AE 4 10mm Salus Emp stdg hldg Globe and Standard RI Valentinian III 425-455 CE AE 9mm Rome mint
tbh I feel bad for those late emperors not having the privilege of having large chunky coins like sestertius show realistic portraits of them, at best they had generic face, at worst a cartoonish crude image! I mean they could’ve asked a talented engraver to make a ‘medal’ portraying the actual face, however it wasn’t feasible for common use!
My understanding is that they’d carry a bag full of these tiny aes and weigh them as whole rather than count for the value! Although I’m not sure about their purchasing power though.
Nah, don't feel sorry for them. They were the TOP of the Heap for Human society at that time. Sad state of affairs that they all let it go bad... To me "Dark Ages" is a purdy appropriate term...
It's amazing to me that you guys know so much about ancients with so little detail. Keep um coming, I'm learning. Thanks.
This is one of my prettiest little Roman coins. Victory dragging captive behind. This one is from Valentinian II minted in Constantinople. 11 mm and 1.58 grams
I wanted to see if it could also be his brother, Honorius. But it appears that the VOT/MVLT reverse type in AE (AE4 in this case) were all struck by Arcadius while Honorius had his name on the AR & AU Vota coinage. These small coins of the late empire are pretty fun (and relatively cheap) to collect! Here's a little Arcadius that I tacked on to a purchase from LAC for around $10 USD. The reverse shows the brothers, Arcadius and Honorius, and their father, Theodosius I (RIC X Antioch 151).
I have a couple of these small AE4s. Most are missing most, if not all, of the legends but this is the best one. Easy to read and well centered.
My tiniest is this Divus Maximian "Half-Follis" from 317/318 AD, with a tiny lion strutting proudly on the reverse. It's 14 mm.
Here's my smallest late-Roman bronze; it's a Gratian AE4 with provenance from Giovanni Dattari's expansive collection of ancient coins. Gratian Bronze AE4 383 – 388 A.D. 14 x 15mm Obverse: D N GRATIA-NVS P F AVG; pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right. Reverse: VOT XX MVLT XXX surrounded by laurel wreath In ex. SM[??] Heraclea? Ex-Dattari
