question about the common Claudius imitative Sestertii

I did try a search, but perhaps I didn't use the right terms. Have there been any informative threads about the common SPES (usually lightweight) provincial Sestertii?

My main question; has it been nailed down to the general area where these came from? I've seen them attributed to Britain/Gaul and the Balkans, respectively. Were they the 1st century equivalent of barbarous radiates?

I have one or two, but they're not special examples, and my photos don't come out well enough to bother hunting for them.

Anybody have any really nice examples?

 

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There's quite a bit of information out there - a great place to find out more is from CTer @Valentinian site - http://augustuscoins.com/ed/imit/imitclaudius.html

I have two Claudius sestertii with Spes. One was gifted me by recently departed @jamesicus, a true gentleman, greatly missed. He knew a lot about these and posted some of his coins and wisdom here: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/claudian-imitative-and-irregular-coinage.325967/

The other, uglier one, I got on eBay. They were both so light weight they were countermarked to turn them into dupondii. As you can see from these two specimens, style was all over the place, from fairly "official" to "barbaric."


Claudius Æ Dupondius
(c. 41-54 A.D.)
Unofficial Mint (Sestertius)
TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG PM TR P IMP, laureate head r. / [SP]ES AVGVSTA,
pes stdg. left, holding flower & raising hem, [SC in ex.]
RIC 99; Cohen 85 (imitative).
Countermark: see reverse.
(16.74 grams / 29 mm)
Coin Talk gift Aug. 2019 Free
Countermark: DV and edge cut at 3 o'clock, obverse.
Pangerl Collection No. 58.
This countermark signified validation as a dupondius on lightweight or unofficial sestertii.
Note: gift from Coin Talk member jamesicus aka James Pickering.



Claudius Æ Dupondius
(c. 41-54 A.D.)
Unofficial Mint (Sestertius)
[Missing] and garbled legend, laureate head right / [SPES AVGVSTA?], Spes standing left, holding flower & raising hem, [SC in exergue?]
RIC 99; Cohen 85 (imitative).
Countermark: see reverse.
(10.66 grams / 29 mm)
eBay Aug. 2019 Lot @ $1.57
Countermark: DV and edge cut at 3 o'clock, obverse.
Pangerl Collection No. 58.
This countermark signified validation as a dupondius on lightweight or unofficial
sestertii.

It is a fascinating area to collect. A Google search with "claudius imitative coin" pulled up quite a few articles, FORVM, etc.

Last fall I got what I think is an official Claudius sestertius with Spes. It is horribly worn, but the weight is not too far off given the wear. It could very well be another imitative type - but it is heavy enough it didn't get countermarked down to a dupondius. You can just make out the portrait, a few stray letters, and Spes's elbow - otherwise it is pretty much a smooth disc. Whatever it is, it got used a lot!


Claudius Æ Sestertius
(c. 41-50 A.D. / 50-54 A.D.)
Rome Mint
TI C[LAVDIVS] CAESAR AVG [P M TR P IMP (P P?)], laureate head right / [SPES AVGVSTA] [S C], Spes advancing left, holding flower in right hand and raising skirt with left
RIC 99 (no PP) or RIC 115 (PP).
(20.37 grams / 32 mm)
eBay Sep. 2021 Lot @ $2.20

 

The top one's the one I'm referring to.

 

Thank you for the links. I'm reading through them now.

 

A discussion that occured some 12 years ago at Forvm about this middle bronze of Claudius, and might be of some help :

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=65318.msg408788#msg408788



Q

 

Thanks!

 

Here is my provincial Sestertius of Claudius with a different reverse type, but style-wise as good as they get:



TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG P M TR P IMP - Laureate head of Claudius right, traces of oblong countermark PROB in front of emperor’s neck /
EX S C / OB / CIVES / SERVATOS infour lines within oak-wreath
Sestertius, Gaul (?), ca. AD 43
34,75 mm / 23,49 gr
RIC 96, note; BMCRE 120; CBN 155 and pl. XXV; cf. Cohen 39

Remarks by David Sear:
"There seems little doubt that it belongs to a large class of imitative coinage possibly struck in Gaul with government sanction in order to provide additional currency during the military build-up prior to the invasion of Britain in AD 43. Some other examples of ‘irregular’ coins of Claudius are very crudely made and may well have been produced in Britain itself following the Claudian invasion in an attempt to make good the shortage of currency in the newly conquered province. Although it is only faintly discernible, this specimen seems to have a weakly applied countermark placed before the emperor’s neck on obverse. This may read “PROB” which would indicate that the coin had been approved (probatus) to remain in circulation despite its irregular appearance. This and other countermarks are well known on base metal coins of this period, their purpose being to reauthorize the currency of coins that might otherwise have been deemed unsuitable for circulation due to excessive wear or their unofficial origin".

 

I wonder if my crummy example is from the same Balkan mint (Perinthus?) as the Britannicus Sestertii?


CLAUDIUS AE sestertius. Struck circa 41-50 AD. TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG P M TR P IMP, laureate head right. Reverse - EX SC OB CIVES SERVATOS in four lines within oak wreath. RIC 96. 33mm, 25.3g.