So, I saw this little eagle snack and bought it on impulse ... No, not that kind of eagle snack! This kind! Severus Alexander, AD 222-235. Roman provincial Æ 17.0 mm, 2.64 g, 6 h. Pisidia, Antioch, AD 222-235. Obv: IMP ΛL-EXΛN, radiate head of Severus Alexander, right. Rev: ANTIOCH COLONIA, eagle facing, looking left, spreading wings. Refs: RPC VI, 6593 (temporary); BMC 19.187, 65 var.; SNG France 1190; SNG von Aulock 4950; Sear GIC 3346 var. It's a fun little coin. The portrait looks nothing like Severus Alexander and the eagle on the back looks more like a crow, lending it a naive charm. While it's not the tiniest coin I have from this city -- that honor belongs to my funky chicken coin -- I'm struck by how small it is compared to my big Gordian III coin from Pisidian Antioch. So now I'm wondering what sort of denomination system they had in the colony of Antioch in Pisidia. I have four coins from the city. And while they were not minted simultaneously, I think there's some value in comparing their weights to see if any ratio is apparent. Funky chicken -- average weight of specimens at RPC: 1.31 g Severus Alexander -- average weight of specimens at RPC: 2.53 g Domna -- weight of my specimen: 5.76 g Big Gordy -- average weight of specimens at RPC: 25.90 g Using the funky chicken as a unit of 1, we see ratios of 1, 1.93, 4.40, and 19.77. So, we're possibly seeing denominations of 1 assarion, 2 assaria, 4 assaria, and 20 assaria. Has anybody studied this in detail with coins produced contemporaneously? Let's see your recent "snacks," tiny coins with eagles, coins of Pisidian Antioch, Severus Alexander provincials, or whatever you feel is relevant!
Nice fun little coin! I too recently purchased a little eagle snack from the Greek east. I've wanted the type for a while. Not without her flaws, she also excels in several areas. The OCT jumped out at me, as well as the eagle and full dolphin. Though, I do feel badly for the dolphin. I suppose it's better than with how we treat them nowadays... I won my mark in the auction and needed a traveling buddy. So this one joined my collection: MOESIA. Istrus. 5th-4th centuries BC. AR hemiobol (8 mm, 0.50 gm). VF. Facing male heads, the right inverted / IΣTPIH, sea-eagle left, grasping dolphin with talons; Θ below tail feathers.
Interesting coin @Roman Collector. I've often wondered about the tariffing of provincial coins, how the values related to coins of other cities, and in addition, how were they valued in terms of conversion to regular imperial currency. One imagines these coins all circulating simultaneously.
Always happy to see an SA, and that's an especially appealing one! A very nutritious snack IMO. Here is one of the later products of this mint, a Claudius II. 26mm, 9.74g. One wonders what happened to the provincial denominations while the Imperial monetary system was busy collapsing under runaway inflation. I find it surprising that large provincial coins from this period are so frequently encountered!
