I've been searching for a while now and have put this on and off of the back burner for the last year or so. I can find several similar versions but nothing apples to apples. I hate to ask like this but I'm hoping someone here may be able to assist.
I'm not 100% certain since the legend is worn, but it looks like: RIC 954a Antoninus Pius AE As. ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P XIX, laureate head right / COS IIII, Jupiter seated left with Victory, SC in ex. Cohen 195. http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/ric/antoninus_pius/RIC_0954a.jpg
I'd say Bing nailed it!!! In case you're unfamiliar, the Dupondius and AS are two somewhat difficult to distinguish denominations; the Dupondius is a rather yellowish color, while the As is more reddish...and it was usually the practice to strike the Dupondius showing the head of the Emperor 'radiate' and the As with a bare or laureated head. As far as 'values' relative to each other and to the silver denarius, the following applies: Sestertius--4 to a denarius Dupondius-8 to a denarius As----------16 to a denarius Incidentally, the Sestertius was the large coin of the Empire, sometimes referred to as a 'Large Bronze' and was generally worth 1/4 of a denarius as noted above.
I have no words. You guys are just amazing. I am very grateful thank you so much! Any good books you would recommend to one who is learning basics of identifying ancient coins? I've been dealing in US coins and currency for several years now but never bothered with ancients until recently.
I would expect any beginner to have trouble identifying this coin. It is worn and the legend is almost completely unreadable. But now that you know in whose name the coin was struck, just think of the amazing idea of this nearly 1900 year old coin lying in the palm of your hand. Unlike US coin collecting where a coin only 100 plus years old can cost you your first born son, Ancients are affordable and they can be handled. Now you need to delve a little deeper and buy some coins with detail. You'll be surprised at how little they cost (of course you can get some that will cost you that first born son as well). Take a look at this thread: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ad...eginner-collectors.263825/page-3#post-2158072
The thread Bing left a 'link' for is good reading to start off and there are countless ways to google and find a few references to what interests or puzzles you most at any given time---not to mention this 'forum' and the various ancient threads that come up... And, those old books and 'paper-backs' can come in handy and are mostly inexpensive....like one by Zander Klawans entitled 'Ancient Greek and Roman Coins' which addresses almost all the areas a beginner or a 'veteran' collector might occasionally need (specifics one may need to be reminded of)---and it only costs about $15.00 And, if you go to the Forum coins web-site, they have numerous 'articles' about legends, values and so many other areas of info about ancients...several by Doug Smith who is a constant contributor to these threads and has been collecting for decades...as far back as the sixties---I believe he said that and meant the 1960's NOT THE 1860's LOL.... I'm just a couple of years younger than him, so he probably won't be too insulted by my saying he's kind of 'old'---and a vast source of information!!
I have spent and continue to spend a lot of money on books. When I started in the hobby, it was the best answer we had. Today, there are books that sell for hundreds that will teach you more than you can learn for free online but I am less certain that I can recommend anything in the $15 range that you could not do as well using Google Search skills and free websites including mine, Valentinian's and a host of other free resources that were not available in the 1960's. I also know books that sell for over $100 that I consider to be worth a lot less than many of the free resources. If you are from the generation (my generation) who believes you only get what you pay for and that hardcovers guarantee good books, you may need to be introduced to the current millennium.
