Diadumenianus

"Is this the real life - or just a fantasy?"

I need help from the experts! What is this???

a) a (known) modern fake
b) an older cast
c) a Paduan of some sort
d) a genuine Sestertius





M OPEL ANTONINVS DIADVMENIANVS CAES / SPES PVBLICA S C
Sestertius, Rome 218
31 mm / 20 gr
RIC 219, BMCRE 155

 

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Can we have an edge view please?

 

Looks fine to me:
Diadumenian AE Sestertius, RIC 219, Cohen 23, BMC 155
Diadumenian, as Caesar, Æ Sestertius. M OPEL ANTONINVS DIADVMENIANVS CAES, draped & cuirassed bust right / SPES PVBLICA S-C, Spes walking left, holding flower & lifting hem of skirt. Cohen 23

 

Size and weight are spot on too.

 

I think it is fine (genuine), and rare. RIC219.

 

Looks OK to me, I am no expert but I would be happy if it were mine.

 

I can understand why you may have wondered whether it was genuine. I would've wondered if it was a 'Paduan' example myself. I'm glad to see that the others agree it is genuine--It's a wonderful example of a rare issue !! Love the aged look and the fantastic centering!! Congrats!!!

 

Yes, RIC219 seems to be the rarer Diadumenian Sestertius. Looks like only three have been auctioned in this century so far (as opposed to around 30 of RIC 211, the PRINCIPI IUVENTUTIS reverse):

https://www.sixbid.com/browse.html?auction=275&category=3858&lot=198265
http://www.timelineauctions.com/lot/diadumenian-spes-publica-sestertius/68157/
https://www.numisbids.com/n.php?p=lot&sid=601&lot=335

Mine was the cheapest that I know of (of both types), and I find it nicer than many of the others

That is what made me wonder why it sat on eBay for a month or so until I grabbed it...

 

Well, Ebay is a weird place. Lots of junk, fakes, and over-priced coins. Its why so many people now ignore it. But as your coin points out (I dont know what the price was, I searched Ebay for closed items but it didnt show up, so I assume it was a while back), there are a few gems to be had. But, who wants to look through thousands of listings to find that gem? Not many I suppose. I use Ebay to keep abreast of fakes, mostly.

 

In my opinion it is a genuine example of RIC 219. It has that undefinable 'look' of genuine to it. I am certainly not an expert either, but I have been collecting roman coin since 1989, so I guess I have seen a thing or two...

Congratulations on that rare coin! As you say, RIC 211 is much more common.
I did see a total of 6 examples of RIC 219 listed on acsearch. You have to search for Diadumenian instead of Diadumenianus. This will yield you more hits, but it is still a very scarce coin, for sure.

 

Thanks for the hint, Eduard! Now I also searched for Diadumenien and I found three more examples of RIC 219 so there are at least 11 including mine and the Timeline specimen (which is not on acsearch).

 

If the coin has 12H axis, I would suspect it was once holed and the hole filled in. Do the first D in Diadumenian and the V in Publica line up? I would still love to have the coin but wonder if any seller noticed it.

 

Yes they indeed do! I would not have noticed myself but now I see that the hole in the V is quite symmetrical. The trace on the obverse does not bother me at all and that is the side I look at the coins in my cabinet
I will always cherish the coin anyway because I never dreamt I would find this Caesar for my portrait gallery of Sestertii

 

Hi Ken,
it was on french eBay and will show up if you search for Diadumenien Sesterce.
I paid 300 for it and even though I am indeed aware of cheaper examples now, I still would never trade it against any other for that price.
My only frustration is that I am not happy with my Macrinus As any more as I want a compatible Sestertius of his as a companion piece to this little goodie now. But then I never saw a big Macrinus in this price range that I liked even though they cannot be any rarer than this.

PS. I still love that Sabina Sestertius you sent me :-D

 

Nice Sestertius!

Mine is a bit more worn... more of a placeholder for my Roman Rulers portraits...


RI Diadumenian 217-218 AE26 Nicopolis ad Istrum Homonoia stdg Obv-Rev.jpg

 

I see the Diadumenien was actually described in the listing as having 'a petit trou rebouche en dessus de la tete' (Small plugged hole above the head)?
Still, not a bad looking coin, and very scarce as all sestertii of Diadumenien are, specially this type.

 

Ups, my french isn´t that good ;-p

 

I feel much better now thanks to the help of all of you here :-D.
In the meantime die links have been found with at least three of the other 13 specimen (the additional ones are in the British Museum and in Vienna).
They seem to have used a very limited number of die sets for Diadumenians Sestertii...

 

A little update:

This coin has just been certified as authentic (and "good F") by David Sear

It is actually 32.23 mm and 23.46 gr and belongs to Macrinus´ and Diadumenian´s third (and last) emission of Sestertii (early March - late May 218) and shares it´s obverse die with the specimen in the British museum and that in Vienna.
The marks above the prince´s head and on the reverse are, according to Sear, ancient surface indentations.