In the Church calendar this time of year is called "Advent." Advent is "the first season of the Christian church year, leading up to Christmas and including the four preceding Sundays." A closely related meaning is "the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event." The Roman sometimes celebrated the arrival of emperors to mint cities with explicit "Advent" coins. Philip, 244-249. ADVENTVS AVGG 22 mm. RIC 26b. Show us your ADVENTVS coins!
Love the reverse Warren. Great detail. HADRIAN AR Denarius OBVERSE: HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P, laureate head right REVERSE: ADVENTVS AVG, Roma, standing right holding spear and clasping hands with Hadrian standing left. Struck at Rome, 134-138AD 2.8g, 17mm RIC, 225, RSC 84a SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS AR Denarius OBVERSE: L SEPT SEV PERT AVG IMP VIII - Laureate head right REVERSE: ADVENTI FELICISSIMO, Severus on horseback right raising hand Struck at Rome, 196 AD 3.4g, 17mm RIC 74, S 6256, C 6 PROBUS Antoninianus OBVERSE: IMP PROBVS P F AVG, radiate cuirassed bust right REVERSE: ADVENTVS AVG, Probus on horseback left, holding sceptre & right hand held high in return salute; at left, under hoof, a captive looks on, R-thunderbolt-Z in ex. Struck at Rome, 279 AD 3.3g, 21mm RIC 155
ADVENTVI AVG FELICISSIMO / SC You can find a nicer sestertius than mine but a really bold full legend one may be difficult. http://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=561949
Philip I Trajan Decius Trebonianus Gallus Aurelian - Unlike the others arriving at a parade, Aurelian seems to be arriving in time to fight. Probus
I love that Aurelian one, the message is hilarious. Rejoice, the Emperor is coming to visit your city, and spear you and trample you under his horse. Must have been quite a visit. I bet everyone was talking about it for a long time, that is to say those who avoided getting too close to him.
Constantine arrives, London mint: Struck mid 310- late 312 according to RIC (that is, before the Battle of the Milvian Bridge. 23-22 mm. 4.21 grams. 6:00 die axis. RIC London 133, page 134.
Probus Coin: Bronze AE Ant IMP PROBVS AVG - Radiate bust right, cuirassed ADVENTVS AVG - Probus on horseback left, holding scepter and right hand held high in return salute; at left, under hoof, a captive looks on Mint: Rome (AD 279) Wt./Size/Axis: 3.18g / 22mm / - References: RIC Vii, 157, page 35 Cohen 37 Probus Coin: Bronze AE Ant PROBVS P F AVG - Radiate, cuirassed bust right ADVENTVS AVG - Probus on horseback left, holding sceptre, right hand raised; captive beneath horse. Mint: Rome (276-282 AD) Wt./Size/Axis: 3.76g / 21mm / - References: RIC 158 var. Constantius I (Caesar) Coin: Bronze Follis CONSTANTIVS NOB CAES - Laureate head right FELIX ADVENT AVGG NN - Africa standing to left in elephant headdress, holding standard and tusk, lion with captured bull at feet. Exergue PKT Mint: Carthage (297 AD) Wt./Size/Axis: 9.76g / 27mm / - References: RIC VI Carthage 22a
Since ADVENTVS has been well-covered, so I'm going to go with a PROFECTIO, which announced the departure of the emperor from the city. CARACALLA AR Denarius 3.16g, 19.5mm Rome mint, AD 213 RIC 225; Cohen 508 O: ANTONINVS PIVS AVG BRIT, laureate head right. R: PROFECTIO AVG, emperor in military garb, standing right with spear, two standards behind. Profectio did not prove as popular as Advent, and nobody after Severus Alexander used the legend. I guess from that point onward emperors arrived at cities more often than they departed them? Question for another quiz, perhaps - how many emperors were killed in a city which prior to their arrival had issued an Advent coin?
Probus Obv:– IMP C PROBVS • P • F • AVG, Radiate, cuirassed bust right Rev:– ADVENTVS PROBI AVG, Emperor riding left, right hand raised, left holding sceptre; at foot, captive Minted in Lugdunum (I in exe) Emission 4 Officina 1. Middle to End A.D. 277 Reference:– Cohen 68. Bastien 184 (10 examples cited). RIC 19 Bust type F This coin is rated Common by RIC but the market would seem to indicate otherwise. I have not seem many examples of this type come onto the market. Despite suffering from a partial flat strike leading to flatness at 6 o'clock on the obverse and 12 o'clock on the reverse it is still a quite desirable example of a scarce coin The coin comes from a short issue made to commemorate Probus travelling through Lugdunum at the start of the summer of A.D. 277 travelling with his army from Asia to battle in the Rhine. Pobus returns through Lugdunum on his way to Rome after a successful campaign in the Rhine causing a special issue of coins with elaborate bust types to be issued in celebration. This coin has one of those busts but also celebrates his return. Probus Obv:– VIRTVS PRO-BI AVG, Radiate, helmeted, cuirassed bust left, holding spear and shield, decorated with emperor riding past row of soldiers with shields Rev:– ADVENTVS PROBI AVG, Emperor riding left, right hand raised, left holding sceptre; at foot, captive Minted in Lugdunum (IIII) Emission 5 Officina 4. End A.D. 277 to Early A.D. 278 References:– Cohen 69. Bastien 256 (2 examples). RIC 64 Bust Type G (S) Appears to be an obverse die match to the plate example in Bastien Martin
Here is another Caracalla PROFECTIO reverse variety: 19 mm. ANTONINVS PIVS AVG BRIT PROFECTIO AVG Struck 213 according to Hill and 210-213 by RIC He took the title Britannicus in 210. RIC, page 87, says this type refers to "the departure for the Gallic war." RIC 226, BMC 96.
Cool OP-coin, Warren (and others) ... I'm gonna go look and see if I have any Advent examples (sadly, I don't categorize them that way, so it'll be a needle in a haystack kinda thing) ... back in a sec
Oh my, is my face red ... Caracalla => oh, and that emoticon is sayin' => "hey, look at me go" ... yah, and that's the confident wise-guy emoticon ... sticking the landing with a "just jokes"
