My first Volusian antoninianus - or what could happen when you hunt for snacks

I participated in an auction this weekend having 2 major targets - the Trajan Dacian related denarii. Got them both yesterday, the price was relatively decent and today, in day 2, I mainly checked which coins are not popular, having a small number of bids, and if I liked them, I took a shot.
Managed to get a Honorius front facing bust, a beaten Procopius (I know his coins are not that rare as they were considered few years ago but nevertheless not found everyday), a Postumus antoninianus with Sarapis and a Saloninus, but for me the main score is this Volusian from Antioch.

The coin is not exactly FDC but I liked the generous flan, the portrait is decent and I like the ROMAE AETERNAE reverse type.
My only Volusian coin was a sestertius with Juno temple reverse, so I decided that if the price remains very low, I will get it.
It was lower than my most optimistic estimations so I got it.
The fun part was when I managed to identify it, as the obverse legend was a little "uncommon"

Volusian AD 251-253. Antioch
Antoninianus AR
22 mm, 2,97 g
IMP CV AF GAL VEND VOLVSIANO AVG Bust radiate, draped, cuirassed r., Rv. ROMAE AETERNAE AVG, Roma seated left with Victory and spear, shield at side. In exergue, 3 pellets
Cf RIC 234a (R)
I always check the rarity ratings in RIC but I don't rely on them too much. But when checking other examples, I saw that this not exactly a common coin - just 6 results on acsearch.
Also I could not find any other similar coin with 3 pellets in exergue.
So I could say that my mission - to get 4-5 coins with under 20 EUR each was a success.

Please post Volusian coins or any snacks bought recently that turned out to be very good coins!

 

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Almost a match.


Volusian (251 - 253 A.D.)
AR Antoninianus
O: IMP C C VIB VOLVSIANVS AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
R: ROMAE AETERNAE AVG, Roma seated left with Victory & spear, shield at side, ui in ex.
Antioch Mint
4g
20mm

Unlisted

Published on Wildwinds

 

Nice "snack"! I have only one Volusian:

Volusian (son of Trebonianus Gallus), AR Antoninianus. 253 AD, Rome Mint. Obv. Radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, IMP CAE C VIB VOLVSIANO AVG / Volusian as Genius of the Senate, standing left, holding branch and scepter, P M TR P IIII COS II. RIC IV-3 140, RSC IV 92, Sear RCV III 9762. 21 mm., 3.74 g., 6 h.


I bought this a few years ago when I still was pursuing a vague "one coin per obtainable emperor" goal. I gave that up somewhere around Quintillus or Florianus. I just got bored with the idea, even though I could easily have found both of them.

 

I think that's a variation of RIC IV Volusian 221
Like this https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=821576
Another rare (possibly unique) variety of another rare coin - or perhaps there are 2 dots in exergue but the die was very old?

 

Cool snack. Here's my "turn up the Vol"usian;


And a recent snack.
I've needed a silver one to go with my bronze one for a while. And the last Leu have me a perfect chance to get a budget example to go along with the main course:


(The bronze since I brought it up):

 

Nice Commodus! (both).
But I think my definition of "snack" is different - I call snacks coins won with less than 20 EUR (maximum 30).
The Volusian was a breadcrumb 12 EUR well spent in my opinion

 

This is my only coin of Volusian, a sestertius from the Jack Frazer collection which I picked up in this year's Triton.

 

That's a good snack!

I've only got one example of Volusian

Volusian
AE28
Dacia
Obverse: IMP C C VIB VOLVSIANVS AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
Reverse: PROVINCIA DACIA, Dacia, standing left, holding branch and sceptre, between eagle and lion, AN V

 

Alright, @ambr0zie! You're ready to write an installment of T-Bone Tuesday with that new Volusian!

Here's one also struck by the third officina in Antioch:


Volusian, AD 251-253.
Roman AR antoninianus, 4.00 g, 23.1 mm, 11 h.
Antiochia, 3rd officina, 3rd issue, AD 252-253.
Obv: IMP C C VIB VOLVSIANVS AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust, right; ••• below.
Rev: IVNO MARTIALIS, Juno seated left, holding corn-ears(?) and scepter; ••• in exergue.
Refs: RIC 218; RSC 38B; RCV --.
Ex-Richard McAlee collection.

 

Nice example! I also only have one Volusian for now, although I eventually hope to get a sestertius and the oh-so-rare issue as Caesar that I should have snapped up a few years ago when they were *only* going for $500-1000!

 

Rats... I've been looking for a Volusian in decent grade but have only been going after this half-heartedly and haven't closed in on one yet.

@DonnaML's post above resonated with me; the "one of every obtainable emperor" is something that I haven't been pursuing as avidly these days - my Magna Grecia & Ostfriesland focus areas always seem to take priority...

 

I guess you could call me a 'one per' collector. I have one each silver, sestertius, Alexandrian tetradrachm (at the same time it is the worst coin and best portrait I have?) and other Provincial (Antioch, home of the worst spelling in Roman coinage).

 

Not bad for a snack! I bought my first Volusian in a similar bargain hunting situation and still consider it a good coin despite the wear:


Volusian, Roman Empire, antoninian, 251–253 AD, Mediolanum mint. Obv: IMP C C VIB VOLVSIANVS AVG, bust of Volusian, draped, cuirassed, radiate, r. Rev: VIRTVS AVGG, Virtus, helmeted and in military attire, standing r., holding spear in r. hand and leaning on shield with l. 22mm, 2.47g. Ref: RIC IV,3 Volusian 206.

My second Volusian was a much more conscious (and expensive) purchase from AMCC 3. Like yours, it is a relatively rare coin from the Antioch mint. Previously, it was owned by Richard McAlee, author of "The Coins of Roman Antioch" (2007):

Volusian, Roman Empire, antoninian, 251–252 AD, Antioch mint. Obv: IMP C V AF GAL VEND VOLUSIANO AVG; radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust r., seen from front; •••• below. Rev: PAX AVGVS; Pax standing l., holding branch and transverse scepter; •••• in exergue.. 22mm, 3,92g. Ref: RIC IV Volusian 230a. Ex AMCC 3, lot 276; ex @Shea19 collection; ex CNG, e-auction 475, Lot 301c; ex Richard McAlee collection.

 

No idea what happened in Antioch in that era.

This is the well known emperor IMP CAE R ASLL OVALHIIR (legendary figure).
Bought is as Volusian. After checking, it might be Valerian. I gave up in trying to clarify.

 

Here's a Volusian that was a "snack" from the "pick-bin" at AMCC 2 (Lot 470), previously JB (Edmonton) Collection:


A couple of other "snack" size & priced coins that are actually among my favorites of my primary collection ("Modern Social Lives of Ancient Coins").

First one is Winzer 16.5 (plate coin) from his 2005 book Antike Portraitmünzen der Perser und Griechen aus vor-hellenistischer Zeit … (and cited in Nieswandt (2012) & other references). ~10mm, 0.65g.

It kept going unsold at Künker auctions and they kept lowering the price (from 50 EUR at 312, 40 EUR at e-54, 30 at e-57). It finally went unsold for 20EUR (plus fees) at e-Auction 65 so I picked it up in the after-sale!


Similar story with this one, a tiny fraction from Rheggion from the Elvira Clain-Stefanelli Collection, which kept going unsold at Naville Numismatics. I didn't research it until after I bought it (~10GBP + fees per coin in a group lot).

At only 7mm, 0.31g, it's actually a very rare Hemilitron (not the litra they thought it was); there are only a handful of published examples, and none with these control/field letters. Also left out of Naville's descriptions, it was illustrated Clain-Stefanelli's 1987 RBN article on "On Some Fractional Silver Coinages of Sicily and Magna Graecia during the Fifth Century B.C."

 

Well, that's what I call a snack!

 

on this one he is smiling...

 

Silver coin (AR Antoninianus) minted at Rome during the reign of VOLUSIAN between 251 - 253 A.D. Obv. IMP.CAE.C.VIB.VOLVSIANO.AVG.: Bust, rad., dr., cuir., r. Rev. VIRTVS.AVGG.: Virtus stg. l., leaning on shield and holding spear. RCS #2781. RSCIV #135. RICIV #186. DVM #46.