This coin comes from a lot of late roman bronzes from Northamptonshire: AE21mm 4.75g billon bronze maiorina/centenionalis, minted at Lugdunum, cca. early 350(?). DN MAGNEN - TIVS PF AVG; rosette-diademed, draped cuirassed bust r. FELICITAS REIPVBLICE; emperor in military dress standing left, holding Victory on globe and labarum. SLG[...] unrecorded in RIC VIII Lyons(?) The mintmark without a prefix is not listed for Lugdunum mint coinage during this period. RIC does mention however (footnote p. 184) an "irregular piece in CF (mintmark PLG)" that reads "FEL TEMP - REI PVBLICE" which might point to a brief period in early 350 when the old mintmarks without prefixes from the FEL TEMP REPARATIO series were in use on base metal issues. If indeed there was an early issue with short mintmark of the FELICITAS type, it should probably date to the early part of 350, when things were still rather confusing following the revolt of Magnentius, when money had started being minted for Magnentius but not as a new issue, but rather following the earlier 349 series. RIC 103 notes a Constantius II with a prefixed mintmark, a strike that should rather date after this short mintmark Magnentius, suggests that this coin presented here is possibly one of the earliest coinages struck for Magnentius at Lugdunum. Anyone have a short mintmark Magnentius from Lugdunum?
Here's my Magnentius: Magnentius, A.D. 350-353 AE Majorina, 24mm, 7.2 grams, 6H Trier mint Obverse: IM CAE MAGNENTIVS AVG Bare-headed, draped, and cuirassed bust right Reverse: FELICITAS REIPVBLICAE Magnentius standing slightly left, head left, Victory on globe in right hand, labarum in left; A in right field //TRS, crescent in exergue Reference: RIC VIII Trier 264
RI Magnentius 351-352 CE AE 1 CHI RHO, Trier Ex: @seth77 RI Magnentius 351-352 CE AE 2 Maiorina 2 Victories holding wreath VOT V Ex: @seth77
Like everyone else above, I have nothing to fit the request. All I have is the ordinary version with RSLG (RIC 112 p.185) slightly messed up by a rotated doublestrike in the forehead. 5.24g.
This short mintmark for Magnentius is an indication that 1. RIC Lyons 103 should be assigned under Magnentius, possibly as a recognition of Constantius II in the early phases of Lugdunum under Magnentius and 2. RIC Lyons 103 is later than this issue, struck for Magnentius before the reorganization of the mint to strike the usual magnentian types.
@Alegandron that's one nice Ambianum Magnentius and the AE1 is as far as I can remember bought from Roy Flora on ebay. Glad you still have them and appreciate them.
The FELICITAS REIPVBLICAE type for Magnentius is recorded with mintmarks PLG and SLG by Bastien in the second edition of his Monnayage de Magnence, 1983, p. 318, 151a and 151b. Only PLG is illustrated: pl. S III, 151a.
I don't think, however, that the mintmark FPLG on RIC VII, p. 183, Lyons 103, of Constantius II, means that it must have been struck before the new FELICITAS REIPVBLICAE coins of Magnentius with shorter mintmark PLG or SLG. After all, there is also an FPLG coin for Constans, RIC 106, which can hardly have been struck by Magnentius after Constans' flight and death!
I suspect that these short mintmarks are the first issue of the FELICITAS type for Magnentius at Lugdunum. And if that FEL TEMP REIPVBLICE mentioned in the note at p. 184 exists and it's a product of the official mint, perhaps it shows the transition from FEL TEMP to FELICITAS. The rarity of these short mintmarks might point to a very brief emission that I think happened very soon after the rebellion of Magnentius in early 350.
