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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;dougsmit, post: 1847752, member: 19463&quot;]We each can decide if having minor variations that are unlisted or marked as scarce means anything to us.&nbsp; I generally don&#039;t pay extra for such things but enjoy discovering them when they come along.&nbsp; It is always nice when we buy a coin and then find out that it holds some upgrade surprise.&nbsp;&nbsp; My example of the moment is the coin that arrived today so I may not have researched it enough to understand the situation.&nbsp; I bought the coin for a silly reason and paid relatively little.&nbsp; It is a reduced follis of Maximinus II from a mint I lacked for him (Nicomedia).&nbsp; The real reason I bid on it was the super swirled cape worn by Jupiter.&nbsp; Yes, that may be an odd reason so we will say I liked the style and the price was right.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]308226[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>As we are wont to do, I got out RIC and tried to catalog the coin.&nbsp; I could not find it.&nbsp; Most of Maximinus&#039; IOVI coins have an eagle at his feet but the very last issue, RIC 79 page 568, has no eagle but has a large star (it is a plate coin) in the left field.&nbsp; This coin has no star and no eagle so I guess it is unlisted.&nbsp; The eagle free variation is the last coin listed in RIC volume VI.&nbsp; Volume VII starts with coins after the death of Maximinus so this must be one of his last coins. Does any of that make the coin special?&nbsp; Not really.&nbsp; I bought it because it was something not unattractive with a feature I liked (the swirl) and it was $16.24 postpaid.&nbsp; Being unlisted was an extra feature and what qualified it for this particular thread.&nbsp; One might ask just how many coins of the tetrarchs I really need.&nbsp; The surfaces could be better but when I see some of the things out there (I&#039;m thinking uncleaned coins mostly) this 21mm follis does not seem all that bad. </p><p><br /></p><p>For beginners among us:&nbsp; This coin is of Maximinus II.&nbsp; Be careful to separate him from Maximi<u>a</u>nus and Galerius who also used the name Maximi<u>a</u>nus.&nbsp; These two have an extra A in the name.&nbsp; Maximinus II spelled his name like the emperor that followed Severus Alexander much earlier (which explains why we add the II to his name).&nbsp;&nbsp; Like Galerius his legend here includes GALerius VALerius so you will see a certain number of his coins listed incorrectly as Galerius by those who fail to note that there is an A missing.&nbsp; There are other places where the Romans set traps to snare collectors unwilling to read each and every letter but this is one that trips up a lot of new collectors and careless dealers alike.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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