I recently picked up a victoriatus which brings the total count in my collection to 18 different varieties. That may seem like a lot but I'm actually only about a quarter of the way to completing the series and still missing both many of the most common varieties and many of the rarest ones. This type is one of the scarcer varieties with a mintmark LT. Unlike the much more common L mintmarked victoriati, these with LT probably weren't minted at Luceria but instead, represent the transition away from Luceria to another mint, likely still in Apulia but closer to the fighting and where the money would be spent(contra Crawford, who thinks T may just refer to a mintmaster). Andrew McCabe suggests that mint might be Herdonia under Quintus Fabius Maximus filius and the abrupt change in style does suggest that it is a different mint. As you can probably tell from the picture, this coin did come slabbed. Normally I try to avoid buying slabbed coins, but this coin was very attractively priced because this dealer inexplicably listed a large group of slabbed victoriati in economy(no strike/surface) slabs and priced them all based on the slab grade - so every "MS" coin, whether it was off struck and missing half the reverse or badly corroded or had a massive die crack running across it cost the same. Most were overpriced but this was a bargain. Of course, I made sure to crack it out as soon as it got home, and while I haven't had time to take my own good photographs of it or a video, I did take some quick "in-hand" shots because this coin is truly breathtaking, particularly the well-detailed reverse. Roman Republic AR Victoriatus(3.81g), Anonymous("LT" series). ca. 214-212 B.C., Central Apulian mint under, perhaps under Quintus Fabius Maximus filius at Herdonia. Laureate head of Jupiter right. Border of dots / Victory standing right, crowning trophy with wreath; LT between. ROMA in exergue. Line border. Crawford 98a/1b Formerly slabbed by NGC 4374477-040 graded MS As always, feel free to share anything relevant.
Beautiful example @red_spork. I don't have an example to share darn it, but congratulations on your acquisition.
Ar Victoriatus LT Minted at Herdonia? 214-212 BC Obv Laureate head of Jupiter right. Rv. Victory facing right placing wreath on trophy Crawford 98A/1b RBW 429 3.23 grms 15 mm Photo by W. Hansen The Victoriatus occupies a rather awkward position within the Roman monetary system. Initially conceived as a replacement for the half quadrigatus, it does not fit easily within the new(at the time) denarius system adopted possibly at the same time. The reverse is interesting as it appears to take its inspiration from the silver tetradrachms minted by Agathokles of Syracuse almost 100 years before. What cannot be determined precisely is whether or not the coin was copied by or copied from an as from the city of Capua minted at the same time.
This is one of my first in the series. It is darkly toned, well preserved and a bit off center. My Club V coin.
This is a wonderful example as well, and almost certainly from the same hoard as mine. As far as whether or not Capua was the copier or the copied, that's definitely a difficult question. More recent studies are moving the date of the victoriati earlier and earlier, and while I'm not super up to date on how Capua's coins are dated and what the latest thinking is, the dates I see cited seem to suggest they came about right around the same time that I suspect the first victoriati were minted which is also around the same time Capua flipped to Hannibal. I kind of wonder if perhaps some particular event, now lost to history, inspired both, but it's hard to say.
Here is my example of the LT Victoriatus. I typically try to choose examples for my collection that are characteristic of the style most frequently seen but in this case, the uncharacteristic style portrait of Jupiter was appealing to me.
