Gallienus - question about mints

I have the following two Gallienus Antoniniae. The coins are of the same reverse type, but they are of very different style. The different sellers attributed the first one to Antiochia and the second one to Trier.

I think neither attribution is correct:

The second coin is of the typical, common style that is usually attributed to Cologne or Lyon. I think the coin was minted at Cologne.

The first one is of a different, but also very fine style, which looks to me very different from the usually crude style produced by eastern mints at the time. I think it is a western mint product, but stylistically neither Lyon nor Cologne fit the bill. Could this by coin from Trier?

Also, please show us your Gallienus Ants that celebrate victory over the Germanic tribes. This is a fascinating series with many varieties.

 

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I was not aware that this coin type was produced at more than one mint. Your first coin just seems to be from a western mint (nominally Cologne) by a well skilled engraver and from fresh dies.

 

My apologies for the poor photo. This coin was part of a collection assembled by Phil Peck. It was in a coin envelop with "Lugdunum" written in pencil.

 

My coin certainly looks like a western mint issue to me. I have many exemplars from Cologne and Lyon, but stylistically I find this coin to be quite different.

The coin is from Gorny & Mosch, who attributed it to Antioch, which I think can't be right:

https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=5746639

 

This is definitely correct. Your coin was minted at Lyon/Lugdunum. It has the typical Lyon style. This would suggest that the type was minted at least in Cologne and in Lyon.



Here is another coin from Lyon, with different reverse type:
VICT GERMANICA

 

Here is an issue from Antioch (VICTORIA GERMAN). The style is completely different to the western mint issues. Also I think the type with Victoria on a globe was never produced in the east. Hence, Gorny and Mosch's attribution to Antioch is almost certainly wrong. I think I can also exclude Lyon. So it is either an unusual style issue from Cologne or it was made at a different western mint like Trier or Mainz.

 

Here are two typical issues from Cologne:
The GERMANICVS MAX V (Germanicus Maximus Quintem) series commemorates Gallienus' victory over the Alamannic army (a tribe from south western Germany), which had crossed the Alps in about 258 AD and attacked Milan. At the time Gallienus was fighting off Frankish war bands at the middle and lower Rhine, who had crossed into Gaul. When he heard of the attack on Milan, he gathered troops from different legions (vexillations) of adjacent provinces to fight off the invasion.

 

Here are two early issues, which I think predate the battle against the Alamanni.
Both coins are probably from the mint of Rome
The first coin show the long obverse legend:
IMP C P LIC GALLIENVS P F AVG // VICT ORIA GERM



The second one has an usual reverse legend. Also note the honorific title GM (Germanicus Maximus) in the obverse legend.

IMP GALLIENVS PF AVG GM // VICTORIA GM

 

Interesting series. I don't know from which mint is this coin:
Obv: IMP GALLIENVS AVG, Rev:VICTORIA GERMAN

 

My only one and not that good of condition.

 

This coin is from Antioch.

 

Thank you Tejas.

 

Here's my example of the reverse type.
I don't know which mint it is, though. The portrait is certainly rather "fine style," at least as far as Gallienus coins go. The reverse, as expected, is beat to death.

 

This is an early issue from Rome with the somewhat scarcer legend

VICTORIAE AVG IT(erum) GERM(anicae)

In fact, I read: VICTORIAE AVG V IT GERM

Interesting piece!

 

A Cologne issue. I have the same type:

 

Oh neat! Thanks a bunch

 

After some more stylistic comparisons, I think that the coin below is from the mint of Rome:



It looks like the type was minted at Cologne, Lyon and Rome.

 

That seems like a very good bet... extremely nice style for Rome!

Here's my very mediocre (but super cheap) example of the "GM" type:

 

Those are remarkably high quality for coins of Gallienus.

In 1930 Andreas Alfoldi wrote a Numismatic Chronicle article "The victories of the emperor Gallienus and the loyalty of his legions" which lists and discusses the types. It makes an interesting collecting theme. However, very few of the coins show the strike and condition yours do.

 

Hello,
The question of the Gallic mint under Gallienus has been widely discussed and was a hot topic. It can be a bit confusing at first. It is agreed that only one mint was operating in Gaul at that time. I don't understand the distinction you make between coins you attribute to Cologne or Lyon.

About the localisation of that one mint, Lyon was an old hypothesis that was discussed and rejected already in the 70's by Jean Lafaurie. I don't think I've read any recent academic paper attributing the gallic coins of Gallienus and cie. to Lyon. Even if you will still find a lot of dealers who are labelling their coins as from Lyon (using the Cohen or the RIC...), this is not correct. Some numismatists suggest that it could be Trier, which is a possibility, but there are strong indication it was most likely Cologne :
- The only coins of Saloninus as August are from the gallic mint and were probably struck in Cologne while the city was besieged by Postumus ;
- The imperial chancellery was more than likely in Cologne (see Jean-Marc Doyen's thesis)

Robert Göbl also attributed those coins to Cologne in MIR 36, which is still the reference book for Gallienus.

So, some small doubts remain but three things are certain :
- There was only one gallic mint active under Gallienus and Valerian
- This mint was not Lyon
- It could be Cologne (most likely in my opinion) or Trier

Your example is indeed from Cologne (or Trier, depending which school of thoughts you are following), and is of great style.

I think I got only two ant from Cologne celebrating the victories over the german tribes. I also got a RESTIT GALLIAR rev., but still have to take pics of it.