I have been interested in collecting denarii but found it too challenging. I was at a local coin shop and the owner showed me a group of Roman coins. I took two denarii to research. I did quite a bit of online research, including prior CoinTalk threads but I still feel uncertain about what I am doing. I would like to know if there is a book I can buy that is considered the standard for denarii (or Roman/Greek coins). I might as well attach pictures of the coins and see if they are real, keepers, and maybe get some help attributing them. Thank you.
The place I tend to start is the legend to find out who is in it. @Aethelred has a page that could help with reading and breaking down the legend: http://www.wnccoins.com/0022.htm Breaking down the legend gets easier with practice, and there are many common elements to them (mentioned in the link). To get you started, here's the letters I'm seeing on the obverse of your first coin: IMPCCVIBTREBGALLVSAVG
Welcome! It will be less daunting as you find good sites to study. Those coins are not denarii— they are antoniniani. There’s a good beginner’s thread somewhere. I’ll post the link when I get home.
Using the letter VIB TREB GALLVS, it appears the coin is of Roman Emperor Trebonianus Gallus (A.D. 251-253). This really helps narrow the search. Thank you
Second coin is Roman Emperor Volusianus, who co-reigned with his father Trebonianus Gallus (A.D. 251-253). Interesting- I picked two coins out of a small "hoard" and they are coins of a father and son who reigned together.
Here's a resource-rich thread for newcomers to ancient coin collecting: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancient-coins-beginners’-faq-thread.324858/
Nice work! That is pretty cool and coincidental! Have you made progress on their reverses? Can you make out what their reverse legends are? Or what various things the people on the reverse are holding? TIF is right... And there was an overlapping time that both of these similar silver coins were issued. Can you determine one main visual attribute that distinguishes between a denarius and an antoninianus?
When I was searching I noticed something wasn't right because the denarii I saw did not have the radiant crown.
Reading on the obverse and reverse legends. A lot to absorb. It appears the first coin has a person seated holding two ears of corn, with a staff across the chair; and, the second coin has a person standing holding a shield and spear.
Also, as I bet you've been seeing, Roman letters were not a total of 26 like we have today, but I = both I and J, and V = both V and U.
If, and only if, you only wish to collect silver coins (no bronzes and no gold), I recommend the Seaby series Roman Silver Coins volumes I-IV. The series also has a fifth volume which I do not recommend at least right at first since the coins it covers are a great deal more scarce/expensive and you can get it later if needed. The books are sold separately and I highly recommend used ones since they are much cheaper and you will not be as tempted to leave them on a shelf to keep them pretty. These books are users not collectibles. https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0900652624/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all Your coins are in Volume IV (above). You might want to buy one or two volumes adding others as you get coins they cover. If you do not collect Republican coins, you might not want the first volume. Most people like that one best. If you shop around, you might find a decent used set cheap. The dust covers on these books did not hold up well to sun exposure so you can get sets that are very sound with faded covers.
This older (1988) edition of Roman Coins and their Values is a favorite and well worth the used price. (the updated 5 volume set gets pricey). Reading a few letters off of the obverse you can quickly narrow down options using this obverse legend search tool: http://www.romancoin.info/ Browsing Wildwinds can be good for reverses.
Trebonianus Gallus has a reverse that reads: "IVNO MARTIALIS." This refers to the Roman goddess Juno. She is holding ears of corn and a scepter. There is debate apparently about the meaning of Martialis: "The epithet may refer to Juno as the mother of Mars. Or perhaps she is Juno of March." See https://www.cointalk.com/threads/juno-martialis.329837/#post-3287254
Now you tell me! Thank you. The reverse of the Volusianus says: "VIRTVS AVGG" depicting Virtus standing, head left, holding shield and spear. Virtus is a deity who personifies virtue.
