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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Julius Germanicus, post: 3553068, member: 80783&quot;]I could not resist buying this artifact on Ebay yesterday which was labeled as a „museum copy“ despite there being no corresponding original as far as I know.</p><p><br /></p><p>I collect neither Antoniniani nor Tetradrachms and even if I did, I would want something from good silver with a fine style portrait, which seems to be impossible to find for this usurper.</p><p><br /></p><p>This item however not only has a realistic portrait that would be in the „finest style of the period“, unlike anything of Vabalathus that I have seen, but it also fits my Sestertius collection size-wise (24,08 gr) plus it comes in the yellow brass colour that I love so much.</p><p>Whoever modern artist is responsible for this, I think he did a great job in creating a sensitive portrait of classical beauty.</p><p>So I thought I could do no wrong with spending 8,50 Euros to fill a space in my Sestertius collection that I did not even know existed.</p><p><br /></p><p>I hope this will be nice in hand and wonder if it has as much eye appeal as these seller´s pictures:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]944357[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>There are of course several criteria that would identify this as a modern fantasy creation:</p><p><br /></p><p>- No large bronze coins of Vabalathus are known.</p><p><br /></p><p>- The production of Sestertii had ended years before Vabalathus´ rule. The only large bronze coins still ocasionally struck in the 270´s were Medallions. While it is not totally unheard of that usurpers struck roman-style bronze coins (Clodius Albinus and Macrinus did) or even Medallions (there is one known of Julianus of Pannonia), these would not have featured the „SC“.</p><p><br /></p><p>- The coin is made from the wrong material: The production of brass coins had ended decades earlier – the last Sestertii were struck from reddish copper and not from Orichalcum which would show the yellow tone we see here.</p><p><br /></p><p>- The legends are wrong. The title should read „IMP“ and not „IM“. There should be no points inbetween some of the letters. The SC would not only be placed between the lines of the reverse legend, but it has not been in use after the time of Gallienus.</p><p><br /></p><p>- While the reverse legend INTROITVS VRBIS („the entry of the city “) inside a laurel wreath is known in it´s abreviated form INT VRB from the last bronzes of Gallienus (Genius Populi Romani obverse), it seems unlikely that Vabalathus would have promoted his entry into Rome.</p><p><br /></p><p>Please show your coins and stories of Vabalathus as well as fantasy coins that you have grown to like![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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