Two more NP antoniniani show great differences considering they were issued by husband and wife. Both appear silver in color but the Salonina is from the very first part of the joint reign and is, for her, very good silver. It was not silver washed. Unfortunately it is a ragged edged mess and not well struck on the reverse (Venus Felix with cupid at feet). RIC says it is from Lugdunum mint but more recent references move the coin to Trier or Cologne. (Who do you believe?) The Gallienus is from the end of the reign (TRP XV), Antioch or Asia mint (the coins have in common that books disagree on where the mints were located). The flan is about as round as these things can be with well struck legends but the alloy has fallen to the point that the silver is provided by a surface wash. The reverse figure is a bit of a stick.
Nice additions. I like that my Salonina isnt a ragged flan. And the line on the obverse is a meandering line from stress , not a crack. Yours looks like it has some good weight, what is it?
Nice additions. I would probably put more stock in the more contemporary sources and say Trier or Cologne. I have a Salonina Venus Genetrix and a DEAE SEGETIAE. SALONINA Antoninianus OBVERSE: SALONINA AVG, diademed draped bust right on a crescent REVERSE: VENVS GENETRIX, Venus standing left, holding apple and sceptre, Cupid at her feet, VI in field Struck at Rome, 260-8 AD 3.3g, 17mm RIC 30; RSC 121a; Sear5 10657 SALONINA Antoninianus OBVERSE: SALONINA AVG, diademed and draped bust right, resting on crescent REVERSE: DEAE SEGETIAE, statue of Segetiae or Ceres, nimbate, standing facing in four-columned temple, both hands raised Struck at Lugdunum, 258 AD 3.1g, 22mm RIC 5
Nice coins Doug, the portraits of Gallenius are so cute. My unimproved photo ratio, mint of Asia. Ex. Doug, also mint of Asia
Only 3.51g. I have four Salonina coins heavier than that but this is the best looking silver. If you like fat, this Gallienus Virtus is 4.69g. The mints spent very little energy trying for consistent weight.
At Baltimore after the show the riders of the bus from the Richmond Coin Club gathered at large tables to wait for the return of the bus. Many were comparing notes on the show and showing each other what they bought. I was writing out a list of NP coins removing them one at a time from one pocket and replacing then in another so I never had more than one coin showing at once. A member/dealer (he sells anything and everything including ancients) asked to see the one in my hand which happened to be the Gallienus. He said, "I would have though you would already had Gallienus." I said I did. He followed, "I heard some guy asking (a dealer) for Gallienus but I didn't know anyone collected him." The concepts that there were two people at one show who would consider buying something so common or why anyone might want more than one were foreign to him. I wished I had the statistic of just how many different types of Gallienus there are or how many site on the web list them but sometimes words just fail me.
A couple more winners ... nice pick-ups!! I have a Salonina to add into the ol' pot (quite similar to your NP)
Yet, nobody bats an eye if you collect something so common as Lincoln Cents. It seems that even among collectors of ancients there's a bias toward "nice" coins. If you had shown him an ant of Gordian III, he probably wouldn't have been surprised that more than one person was asking for them. I find the antoniniani of Gallienus every bit as fascinating as any other series, but I only own two at the moment. I don't hunt them, but if I come across an opportunity to snipe one for cheap, I'll avail myself of it. 1. Gallienus, 253-268 AR Antoninianus, 20mm, 3.28g; Rome mint: 263-264 Obv.: GALLIENVS AVG; radiate bust right, seen from behind. Rev.: VIRTVS AVG; Virtus standing left, holding spear and shield. Reference: RIC 5(a) 325 2. Gallienus, 253-268 AE Antoninianus, Rome mint, 268 AD Obv.: GALLIENVS AVG; Radiate bust right Rev.: P M TR P XVI COS VII; Emperor standing left, holding globe and sceptre Reference: RIC V(a) Gallienus Sole Rule 156 (p. 144) Notes: This is the last issue in the dated series of antoniniani.
I believe this same mindset appears in most collecting fields. There are also Lincoln cent collectors who have a 1909S VDB and a few others but see no reason to have a hundred other dates that could be found in circulation. There is something about the mind that takes up a collecting hobby that is attracted to the rare rather than the workhouse coins. One favorite book of mine is Robert Tye's Early World Coins and Early Weight Standards. He comes nowhere near having all the coin types in the pre modern era but the ones he includes represent coins that actually supported commerce in their day. There are choice exceptions which I can't explain but he is more likely to show a Gallienus and a Tetricus as representatives of their times and makes no mention of Quietus or Laelianus. It leads to a challenge we each might take: If you had to represent all 'Ancient Roman' coins with only ten coins, which would you choose? Perhaps there should be one Aureus and a few silvers but I imagine most would/should be pretty common coins.
Gallienus Billon Antoninianus. Mint of Asia. 267 AD, 3.9g, 21.53mm OBV: GALLIENVS AVG, Radiate, draped & cuirassed bust right. REV: AETERNITAS AVG, Saturn standing right holding scythe, PXV (short for TR P XV) in ex. REF: Cohen 44. RIC V-1 (S) 606.
Salonina AE Antoninianus. Rome mint, AD 260-268 (sole reign). 3.4g, 24mm OBV: CORNEL SALONINA AVG, Diademed draped bust right on a crescent. REV: FECVNDITAS AVG, Fecunditas, standing left, holding cornucopiae, child at feet left, officina letter A to right. REF: Sear 10633 var (obv. legend); Göbl 662s. RIC 5A
I want to know why Salonina employed a die clashing idiot at all the mints, there seems to be no end of die clashes on her coins.....
