Log in or Sign up
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Ancient Coins
>
Constantius I As Augustus AE Radiate - One & Done
>
Reply to Thread
Message:
<p>[QUOTE="Heliodromus, post: 7858909, member: 120820"]They're called post-reform radiates to differentiate them from the pre-reform ones, i.e. pre/post Diocletian's coinage reform of c.293AD when the nummus was introduced. The pre-reform radiates contained 5% silver, as indicated by their XXI (XX:I = 20:1 parts bronze vs silver) marking, as opposed to the post-reform ones which have close to zero silver content and now instead carry a mintmark indicating the mint/city.</p><p><br /></p><p>The "radiate" part of the name comes from the radiate busts, and is significant because radiate busts were used as a denomination marker, typically "double value", so here we have the post-reform radiate at double the value of the post-reform laureate.</p><p><br /></p><p>Collectors normally call these post-reform radiates since it's more descriptive than just "fractions", and they're really a carry-over from the pre-reform coinage, not directly intended as a clean fraction (1/2 etc) of a nummus. As typical we don't know what the Roman's themselves usually called these denominations, although there is a contemporary reference to the "bicharactar pecuniam" (i.e. "two-person coin") which appears to be a nickname for the concordia militvm type (pre and/or post-reform?) with it's two-person design.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Heliodromus, post: 7858909, member: 120820"]They're called post-reform radiates to differentiate them from the pre-reform ones, i.e. pre/post Diocletian's coinage reform of c.293AD when the nummus was introduced. The pre-reform radiates contained 5% silver, as indicated by their XXI (XX:I = 20:1 parts bronze vs silver) marking, as opposed to the post-reform ones which have close to zero silver content and now instead carry a mintmark indicating the mint/city. The "radiate" part of the name comes from the radiate busts, and is significant because radiate busts were used as a denomination marker, typically "double value", so here we have the post-reform radiate at double the value of the post-reform laureate. Collectors normally call these post-reform radiates since it's more descriptive than just "fractions", and they're really a carry-over from the pre-reform coinage, not directly intended as a clean fraction (1/2 etc) of a nummus. As typical we don't know what the Roman's themselves usually called these denominations, although there is a contemporary reference to the "bicharactar pecuniam" (i.e. "two-person coin") which appears to be a nickname for the concordia militvm type (pre and/or post-reform?) with it's two-person design.[/QUOTE]
Your name or email address:
Do you already have an account?
No, create an account now.
Yes, my password is:
Forgot your password?
Stay logged in
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Ancient Coins
>
Constantius I As Augustus AE Radiate - One & Done
>
Home
Home
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Activity
Recent Posts
Forums
Forums
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Posts
Competitions
Competitions
Quick Links
Competition Index
Rules, Terms & Conditions
Gallery
Gallery
Quick Links
Search Media
New Media
Showcase
Showcase
Quick Links
Search Items
Most Active Members
New Items
Directory
Directory
Quick Links
Directory Home
New Listings
Members
Members
Quick Links
Notable Members
Current Visitors
Recent Activity
New Profile Posts
Sponsors
Menu
Search
Search titles only
Posted by Member:
Separate names with a comma.
Newer Than:
Search this thread only
Search this forum only
Display results as threads
Useful Searches
Recent Posts
More...