I found the coin below and bought it only because the seller gave a weight of 5.54g, which I could not quite believe. However, I got the coin and confirmed the weight. Obv.: IMP C P LIC VALERIANVS AVG Rev.: VICTORIA AVGG Mint: Rome Weight: 5.54 g. (23 mm). RIC 124; RSC 218; cf Sear 9991. I thought the standard weight at the time would be somewhere around 4.0g, with many coins even below that. Skimming through Acsearch I found heavy coins reaching up to 5g, but the piece above seem to set the record. Weight control seemed to have been very poor at the time. In addition, the coin is of comparably good silver and it didn't apparently matter that its weight was almost twice as much as some other Antoniniae of Valerian. Does anybody have such a whopper of an Antoninian like the one above? I'd like to see it.
Excellent coin. At least the consumers actually got a coin in hand that was worth 2 denarii by weight.
What a beast! My heaviest Valerian is at 3,1g but I have got a heavy Gordian at 5,46g: Emperor Gordian III. - Antoninianus - FELICIT TEMP
Thanks a lot for this information. My Valerian really looks and feels like the early Antoniniae of Caracalla and Elagabalus in terms of weight and diameter. Some of the extra weight comes from the fact that it was minted on large flan. It is rare to see the entire die on the flan. Also, the flan is rather thick as well. This one appears to be my second heaviest Valerian I Antoninian. It weighs 4.06g, despite the rather large flan. Valerian I, 253 - 260 Obv.: IMP P LIC VALERIANO AVG Rev.: FIDES MILITVM Mint: Viminacium Year: AD 253 Weight: 4.06
Large flan and rather heavy: VALERIAN, Antoninianus Rome, 254 4.67 g - 23 mm S 9936 v. - C 55 - RIC Va 86 IMP C P LIC VALERIANVS AVG, Radiate bust right FELICITAS AVGG, Felicitas std facing
The coin above (Alwin's) is fantastic. I wonder what the reason is for this very wide range of weights: 1. Was it just a lack of control. Mint workers cut out blanks without weighing them? The resulting variation in weights was deemed to be acceptable. 2. Was an an attempt to restore a full double denarius standard of the type issued under Caracalla and Elagabalus? 3. Have these large and overweight coins been struck on old blanks or old Antoniniae? Alwin's coin above shows that the flan was way too large for the dies. Regarding no. 2, similar observations can be made with regards to the Gallic Empire. The coins under Postumus started out in silver/billon and deteriorated to bronze. Yet, Victorinus also started out with billon coins, which quickly deteriorated back to bronze. Maybe new rulers sought to establish credibility and trust by issuing high standard coins at the start of their rule to muster support among the army and population. If that is true, then the deterioration to lower weight standards proceeded rapidly. The coin below dates to 254/55 and weighs 3.34g. Obv.: IMP VALERIANVS P AVG Rev.: CONCOR EXERC Concordia standing left sacrifices over altar, holds patera in her right hand and cornucopiae with her left arm. Mint: Viminacium Weight: 3.34g (21mm) Date: 254-255 RIC 233. Exceptionally fine bust
Here's a more typical Valerian: Valerian I, AD 253-260. Roman AR antoninianus, 2.75 g, 20 mm, 7 h. Uncertain Eastern mint, 2nd emission, AD 256-260. Obv: IMP C P LIC VALERIANVS·P·F·AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from the front. Rev: PIETAS AVGG, Valerian, holding eagle-tipped scepter, and Gallienus, holding parazonium, standing facing each other, sacrificing over lighted altar between them. Refs: RIC 285; Göbl 1684e; Cohen/RSC 152; RCV 9955; Hunter 73. Notes: The ANS attributes this issue to Cyzicus, Göbl to Samosata, and RIC to Antioch. According to the introduction of RIC volume V, during Valerian's reign, some coins minted in Asia cannot certainly be attributed to either Antioch or Cyzicus (p.22-26). RIC dates this issue to AD 255-56.
This Gallienus is a hefty 6.29g: ... but that's because it was accidentally struck on two stacked flans that fused together. @Ocatarinetabellatchitchix recently started a great thread on heavyweight coins. Some other flanstacks are included there, but the chunkiest ant in the thread is @zumbly's 7.15g Claudius II monster.
Oops, I missed that thread. The Gallienus is great. I have never handled a coin that was struck on 2 flans.
