Continuing my quest for 'more silver than bronze' antoninianus's of the Valerian dynasty, my latest Gallienus coin POST YER COINS N COMMENTS PEEPS! Gallienus billon antoninianus, minted 258-9AD Milan mint. Emperors bust right obverse, Diana reverse,23mm, 2.89gms
I lately received a pretty silvery example too sadly possibly struck with very worn dies: Antoninianus - Emperor Gallienus - VIRTVS AVGG
Nice silver (relatively speaking!) Date: 257-258 AD, AR antoninianus Obverse: GALLIENVS P F AVG, Radiate cuirassed bust left, holding spear over right shoulder, and shield at left shoulder (Gorgoneion on shield?) Reverse: GERMANICVS MAX V, Trophy of armor with two bound captives seated at base Size: 23.31 mm Weight: 2.99 grams Attribution: RIC Vii 18, rare 3 ex-Marc Breitsprecher
I think one of my newest coins fits the "request" 22 mm, 1,99 g RIC V Gallienus (joint reign) 131 Cohen 125 Date: AD 253 Obverse Legend: IMP C P LIC GALLIENVS AVG Type: Bust of Gallienus, radiate, draped, right Reverse Legend: CONCORDIA AVGG Type: Two right hands clasped together In the last auction I was simply knocked out on all the coins I wanted. I had very low hope on this one but I won it without paying much. Probably other people didn't like the corrosion. I am not bothered and I love this reverse type.
I just posted this, but couldn't stop myself in time. Thanks, @ominus1, for the pretext, along with an impressive example. GALLIENVS P. F. AVG /Trophy and captives, GERMANICVS MAX V Sear (2nd ed., 1974) 2861 (sorry, all that's to hand). I like how the relief, along with the composition, evoke the issues of Valerian, suggesting an early point in the reign. Since the numeral V on the reverse didn't correspond to anything in Sear, I Wiki'e Gallienus, and found that one of his early successes was against an invasion of Italy by the Allemani (which I understand to have been a Latin term corresponding more or less to 'all the rest of those Germanic tribes'), dated to c. 258-60. After a defense of Rome itself by an impromptu Senatorially-sponsored force, Gallienus and his army returned from repelling yet another invasion, either in Gaul or the Balkans (take your pick), and decisively defeated them at Mediolanum (/Milan) --which, as @ominus1 demonstrates, he then made a major mint town. ...While not terrifically early in the reign, this interval is still safely prior to Gallienus' lamented 'coin reform' /wholesale debasement. If anyone knew the significance of that "V" on the reverse, that would be pretty great. Seems less than easily plausible that it would be commemorating the fifth anniversary of the victory ...but what do I know? I mostly jumped ship from Roman to medieval when I was still a kid.
Solid one, @Jayag. When I found one that was even in the ballpark, as a kid (when I was Really into this stuff), it made my whole week.
silver mine... GALLIENUS RI Gallienus Silvered Æ Ant CE 263-264 AVG rad cuiras R Hercules R lion skin club star RIC 673
Nice pickup @ominus1. Here’s my “more-silver-than-bronze” Gallienus (I always like the ragged flan shape on this one). Gallienus (joint reign), Antoninianus, Rome mint, 255-256 AD., RIC V 159
..is that a request?!?...(JK) Valerian 'silvered' AE antoninianus, emperors bust right obverse, emperor receiving wreath of Orient reverse, 19mm 2.32gms
What's the silver purity on those two? I own one of them and have been trying to figure out how pure it is?
almost impossible without invasive means. You can estimate by measuring density but short of cutting it apart it’s not easy. XRF is only surface analysis so that will tell you if it’s pure on the surface but not in the core.
