Hi all! I was browsing the latest Leu auction, and saw that the were selling this antoninianus of Gallienus, described as "An unusually heavy example, struck on a broad and medallic flan". It is a very nice piece I actually have a similar (though much worse condition) one on a slightly larger flan. It came from one of the lots in a Roma auction. Both coins have the same reverse (The coin does look much better in hand, with some traces of silvering on the reverse) Why were these coins struck on flans that were much larger than necessary? Was it simply an error, or did the have some other purpose? Thanks!
Gallienus was emperor for a long time and issued coins from several mints. Some are little and junky; others are well made and decent. Relatively little care was taken to assure each coin was exactly the same weight as all others but rather that they made a certain number from a pound of metal. People pay more for nicer coins. If you look at enough coins, you may find some of the better ones. Unfortunately,
