3rd century triple play

ran into some cash recently so we i went on a mini-coin spree. all roman 3rd century stuff.

part 1: bargain bin probus



this was less than 16 bucks, so what the heck. not a bad looking coin with respectable details and some nice silvering left. i only have 2 other probus coins and "coin with temple" was on my list.

Probus
281A.D.
Silvered AE Antoninianus
Radiate bust l., wearing imperial mantle, holding scepter surmounted by eagle.
IMP PROB-VSPF AVG
Roma seated in temple, holding Victory and scepter; In ex.: R (Wreath) Delta.
ROMAE AETER
Rome Mint
21 mm
3.1g
RIC V 183

feel free to post a probus coin you think needs some attention!

stay tuned for parts 2 and 3 with some sweeties from alexandria.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

That's a great coin, and a great bargain. My complaint with so many of the temple types is that the figure within, be it a god, or person, or personification, is not well-struck and detailed. Your little Roma looks super.

 

That's a neat find! Hopefully it's genuine.

 

JA makes a good point about the figures and even the ones with detail sometimes seem to be different from each other. Another good thing about Probus is how many different obverses you can find with any given reverse. Add to that the symbols in the mintmarks that separated series and you could end up with more coins than you really need. A few (20?) years back there were a lot of these on the market and I got carried away. The hardest one to find is sometimes the plain bust.

 

That's a beautiful set, Doug. I love a collection of varieties.

 

Very nice Chris. I need to buy another Probus. It's been ages since I last looked at any of his coins.

 

You see so many of the CLEMENTIA TEMP coins with Jupiter and the emperor playing catch, that it's easy to forget there are many, far more interesting reverse types.

 

Would all of these have the same RIC number?

 

thanks everyone, and nice one's DS! these have different ric numbers for the most part. DS's second coin and mine, which differ only in the mint mark, are the same i believe, but the rest are not.

 

wow chrsmat => that is a super addition (I don't have an example to toss into the mix)

... oh, and fantastic set, Doug (great lookin' group)

 

Very nice! I want one of these Probus temple coins too.

 

Mind if I play along?

I have a few Rome mint temples too...

 

How many coins can people see in my post? I added 10 but can only see three in the post, when I edit all 10 are there. Just wondering if it is a local issue or a general probem with my post.
Martin

 

I only see three. The rest show as failed links.

 

Thanks. Another try for the missing coins.

 

Huh? => man, that's all ya got, Martin???

... obviously just jokin' (wow, you have a whole lotta examples, my Probus-friend)

=> bravo!!

 

Most volumes of RIC made decisions as to what gets a separate number that I might not have made but we have to remember that each volume is a separate work and not really part of a unified set. Volume V including Probus was perhaps the least sensible to my way of thinking. Take for example Martin's first two coins above which have a mintmark R delta. The coins have a different RIC number because they have a different obverse legend but not because one has a thunderbolt between the letters and the other does not. Similarly, the bust styles would all be included in one number as long as the legends were the same. Sometimes this means three very different coins will share a number. In a few extreme cases (see RIC 200 - a Sol in chariot type) there can be as many as four obverses that were assigned letters in their key and then a couple more minor variations mentioned like whether the the previously undescribed by the letter key bust has a spear or a globe.

It gets worse if you choose to specialize in these. The military busts left with a shield which are contained in one number do not allow for variations in that shield. Notice that of the last two in my last post one has a shield covered with knobs while the other has a small Medusa head in the center. There are several other possible variations in shield design.

Buy RIC, read RIC, enjoy RIC but don't worship RIC. You are in no way better off knowing the RIC number of you coin. In volume V at least, there are coins that share RIC numbers that differ vastly in rarity, demand and market price. The next revision of RIC V will be a hundred times more complex. There is an online effort at a revision of the first part of vol. V but it is not ready for ink and paper yet. I do not know if anyone is working on the rest of the book.
http://www.ric.mom.fr/en/search/advanced

 

Terrific examples !!!! And Doug always has the info and sources...I always find the posts extremely informative and full of better coins than I usually have..A twinge of jealousy?? LOL

 

Very nice Chris!

 

nice probi martin!

these coins are pretty sweet really, i haven't paid enough attention to them. the details on the armor and clothing are pretty amazing, looks stellar on those higher grade coins DS and martin have.

stevex, you better go buy one of these!