I haven't managed to buy myself a nice Probus for a while. I like to try and find one once in a while just to remind myself that I still can. When I do I try to find a good excuse, reason or justification for the purchase. There are a range of busts for Probus and probably the most common is designated Bust Type F by RIC, being "Radiate cuirassed bust right". Unlike with many other emperors this is a blanket term for this bust regardless of other attributes. The following coin was bought because it shows some of the additional attributes that can turn up for this bust type without changing the attribution. Additionally a bust with these attributes isn't illustrated on probvs.net for this reverse type. On top of all this the coin was bought from someone who had made a hash of their photography and thus this was a bit of a gamble. The coin didn't look this nice and there was no hint of the traces of silvering. Here are the examples from Probvs.net for comparison. http://probvs.net/probvs/R547/R547.html Probus Obv:– IMP C PROBVS AVG, Radiate cuirassed bust right, wearing aegis, fold of paludamentum on left shoulder Rev:– PAX AVG, Pax standing left, holding olive-branch and sceptre Mint – Ticinum (//EXXI), 6th emission, second phase (with XXI), 279 CE. Reference:– RIC 547 Bust Type F 0 degrees. 3.98 gms. 21.16 mm Martin
Before I get too interested in how the folds fall, I need to see some reason that such a detail might carry a meaning beyond random variation. If I knew, for example, that a die with a characteristic carried a coded meaning, I could get into it but I am tending away from flyspecking for the sake of flyspecking. I suspect that there are many meanings we don't understand. Of course we have to note these things and hope someday to see the light. I only care about them in the series I collect to excess. I like Probus but will leave these to you.
Very nice!! I must admit the Emperors of 'The Recovery' intrigue me and I'll probably be grabbing a few more examples in the months to come. Just to pile on---one of my favorites:
Doug, It really doesn't mean anything. I just find it interesting how for Trajan for example a coin will be given a separate entry if there is a fold of drapery or an aegis on a bust but due to the huge variety by the time we get to Probus that these minor details are rolled up and ignored. I don't go out of my way for such variations and certainly wouldn't pay more. This coin was sold to me for about the cost of a burger meal from one of the chains here in the UK. I was buying other items from the same seller at the same time so it was too nice to walk away from. Martin
Thanks for the write up and great Probus, Martin. I really like the clean design reverse! I do not have a Ticinum mint... Marcus Aurelius Probus, AD 276-282 Billon Antoninianus, 21mm, 2.3g, 6h; Rome mint, 6th emission, AD 281. Obv.: PROBVS AVG; Radiate, cuirassed bust right. Rev.: ADVENTVS AVG; Probus riding horse left, raising hand and holding scepter; to left, bound captive seated left under foreleg, head right // R thunderbolt Z (7th officina). Reference: RIC Vb Probus 158, p. 35 Marcus Aurelius Probus, AD 276-282 BI Ant 2.80g Cohen 768
Your coin is an ant. I'm not sure why the seller even called it a quinarius as he had previously sold a similar coin correctly ID'ed as an ant (pictured below) King (in Roman Quinarii) does not illustrate any radiate bust examples
