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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Valentinian, post: 4862521, member: 44316&quot;]Aurelian was Roman emperor from 270-275. He inherited a coinage system with coins of very low quality silver we call &quot;pre-reform&quot; coins and improved the silver content in 274 to a still-low &quot;20 parts copper and one part silver&quot; usually denoted on the coins by &quot;XXI&quot; (or &quot;KA&quot; using Greek). [There is a good story of how the reform came about, with lots of blood and death, but I won&#039;t tell it here.]</p><p><br /></p><p>We have had many threads that mention the reform and discuss the names of the denominations pre- and post- reform.&nbsp; Here is one such thread (from 2019):</p><p><a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/diocletian.347758/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/diocletian.347758/">https://www.cointalk.com/threads/diocletian.347758/</a></p><p>Here is a very nice thread with portraits of Aurelian (from 2018):</p><p><a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/aurelian-the-savior.318932/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/aurelian-the-savior.318932/">https://www.cointalk.com/threads/aurelian-the-savior.318932/</a></p><p><br /></p><p>I am writing because I recently got this pre-reform coin of Aurelian which has some silvering.&nbsp; Usually they look like copper and silvering is found on post-reform coins. </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1174469[/ATTACH] </p><p>22-21 mm. 3.18 grams.</p><p>IMP AVRELIANVS AVG</p><p>CONCORDIA MILITVM, emperor and Concordia clasping hands, S in exergue</p><p>Sear III 11522. RIC V online 1432, summer 271. Mediolanum mint. RIC V.I 120. </p><p><br /></p><p>If his early coins had all been this good, I&#039;m not sure he would have needed a reform. However, may are more like this:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1174472[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>This one is an early issue with a portrait inherited from Claudius II. </p><p>21 mm. 4.45 grams.</p><p>IMP C AVRELIANVS AVG</p><p>CONCORDIA MILI, Concordia holding two standards</p><p>Sear III 11518 variety. RIC 192. Struck as the first issue at Siscia, Oct.-Nov. 270.</p><p>This particular coin has pretty good die work and a large flan, but the flan clearly lacks much silver. </p><p><br /></p><p>If you have a beautiful Aurelian, and there are many, it is likely a post-reform coin.</p><p><br /></p><p>Show us some coins of Aurelian.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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