GENIO types following the First Tertrachy

I am announcing a new web page on types with GENIO in the legend during and after the period of the First Tetrarchy (The First Tetrarchy was from 293 to 305 with Diocletian and Maximian as Augusti and Galerius and Constantius as Caesars).

http://augustuscoins.com/ed/tetrarchy/GENIO.html

GENIO POPVLI ROMANI is by far the most common legend and has its own web pages, so it is not emphasized there. That page discusses types like GENIO AVGG ET CAESARVM NN. This legend was used only at Cyzicus and only for Caesars, not Augusti.



Constantius
27 mm. 8.43 grams.
FL VAL CONSTANTIVS NOB CAES
GENIO AVGG ET CAESARVM NN
KB
RIC VI Cyzicus 11a "c. 297-299"

There are other web pages of greater general interest. If you are not already very familiar with the coinage of the period, you might to start with the main page about the coins of the First Tetrarchy. Then there are pages on coins of the Second Tetrarchy, all the follis types under the First Tetrarchy, retirement issues, and several other topics. After you know the basics, there remains a chance you will still be interested enough to delve further into in the GENIO page I am announcing now.

http://augustuscoins.com/ed/tetrarchy/GENIO.html

Show us some folles with "GENIO" in the legend that are not the common "GENIO POPVLI ROMANI" type.

 

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There's your GENIO IMPERATORIS (to the Genius of the emperor):


Galerius, A.D. 305-311.
Roman AE follis, 26.0 mm, 7.73 g, 12 h.
Heraclea mint, AD 310-311.
Obv: IMP C GAL VAL MAXIMIANVS P F AVG, laureate head right.
Rev: GENIO IMPERATORIS, Genius standing left, holding patera and cornucopia; */HTE Refs: RIC 48a; RCV 14514; Cohen 48.

And there's the essentially synonymous GENIO AVGVSTI:


Maximinus II Daza, AD 309-313, as Augustus.
Roman Æ follis, 21.4 mm, 4.88 g, 12 h.
Antioch, AD 312.
Obv: IMP C GAL VAL MAXIMINVS P F AVG, laureate head, right.
Rev: GENIO AVGVSTI, Genius standing left, modius on head, naked but for chlamys over left shoulder, holding head of Sol and cornucopiae; *|Z //ANT.
Refs: RIC 164b; Cohen 21; RCV 14840.

 

DIOCLETIAN
AE27 Silvered Follis
OBVERSE: IMP C C VAL DIOCLETIANVS P F AVG, laureate head right
REVERSE: GENIO POPV-L-IROMANI, Genius standing left, holding patera & cornucopia, HTA in ex.
Struck at Heraclea, 296-297 AD
9.3g, 27mm
RIC VI 19a

GALERIUS
AE Follis
OBVERSE: IMP C GAL VAL MAXIMIANVS P F AVG, laureate head right
REVERSE: GENIO AVGVSTI CMH, Genius standing left, modius on head, chlamys over shoulder, holding patera and cornucopiae, SMNA in ex
Struck at Nicomedia 308-311 AD
7.6g, 26mm
RIC VI 54a, A

SEVERUS II
Quarter Follis
OBVERSE: SEVERVS NOB C, laureate head right
REVERSE: GGENIO POPVLI ROMANI, Genius standing left, modius on head, with chlamys over l. shoulder, patera & cornucopiae; SIS in ex.
Struck at Siscia 305-6 AD
2.3g, 20mm
RIC VI Siscia 171a

LICINIUS I
AE2 Follis
OBVERSE: IMP LICINIVS P F AVG, laureate, cuirassed bust right
REVERSE: GENIO POP ROM S-F, Genius standing left, modius on head, loins draped, holding patera & cornucopia, PLN in ex.
Struck at London 313-4 AD
3.1g, 21mm
RIC VII 3
Metal Detector Fine, St Andrews, GB

LICINIUS I
AE2 Follis
OBVERSE: IMP LICINIVS P F AVG, laureate, cuirassed bust right
REVERSE: GENIO POP ROM S-F, Genius standing left, modius on head, loins draped, holding patera & cornucopia, PLN in ex.
Struck at London 313-4 AD
3.2g, 22mm
RIC VII 3

MAXIMINUS II DAIA
AE Follis
OBVERSE: IMP C GAL VAL MAXIMINVS PF AVG, laureate head right
REVERSE: GENIO EX-ERCITVS, Genius standing left by altar, modius on head, naked except for chlamys over left shoulder (falls low), holding patera from which liquid flows, and cornucopiae. Crescent in upper left field, epsilon over delta in right field. ANT in ex.
Struck at Antioch 310-311 AD
6.2g, 23mm
RIC VI 147c

MAXIMINUS II DAIA
AE Follis
OBVERSE: IMP C GAL VAL MAXIMINVS PF AVG, laureate head right
REVERSE: GENIO IMPERATORIS, Genius tanding left, pouring libation from patera & holding cornucopiae, HTG in ex.
Struck at Heraclea 305-306AD
6.4g, 27mm
RIC VI 62

 

Maximianus
AE2, Struck 309-310 AD, Siscia Mint
Obverse: IMP MAXIMIANVS P F AVG, laureate head right.
Reverse: GENIO CA-ESARIS: Genius, wearing modius, nude, chlamys draped over left shoulder, standing left, holding patera in right hand and cornucopiae in left hand, crescent in left field, Γ in right field.
Exergue: SIS
References: RIC VI Siscia 201a


Maximinus II Daia as “FILIVS AVGVSTORVM”, AE2 Follis
Struck Dec. 308 – May 310 AD, Thessalonica Mint
Obverse: MAXIMINVS • FIL • AVGG, Head of Maximinus Daia, laureate, right.
Reverse: GENIO CA-ESARIS, Genius, wearing modius, sometimes radiate, nude, chlamys draped over left shoulder, standing left, pouring liquid from patera in right hand and holding cornucopiae in left hand,s star in left field, Δ in right field.
Exergue: •SM•TS•
References: RIC VI Thessalonica 32a

 

Maximinus II, as Caesar, Follis (25 mm, 7.20 g), Nicomedia, 308-309. GAL VAL MAXIMINVS NOB CAES Laureate head right. Rev. GENIO CA-ESARIS CMH/ SMNB Genius, nude but for chlamys, standing front, head to left, wearing kalathos and holding patera from which liquor flows in his right hand and cornucopiae in his left. RIC 55.

 

What does the CMH represent?

 

Bing, your last coin is a Galerius, not Maximinus.

IMP C GAL VAL MAXIMIANVS P F AVG.

RIC 37a or 41, depending on the dots before and after the mint mark.


Barry

 

Good question. I had looked into that when I bought the coin, and was surprised to find out that no one is certain what the CMH means. I've read that it may be a mark of value, but there's apparently no consensus on that.

 

Galerius, GENIO AVGG ET CAESARVM NN
Maximinus II, GENIO EXERCITVS

Constantine I, GENIO CAESARIS

 

Thanks Barry. I've had that coin for a very long time and never checked the attribution. Changed in my catalog.

 

@Valentinian .....
Really useful pages I use them all the time..Thanks.
Here's one of my favourite bonzes..

 

You’re welcome Bing. It was a tough one to see clearly.

Barry

 

Here's one of Maximinus II as Caesar, AD 308-9, that hasn't made an appearance yet (RIC 43) , 6.31g 25.5mm,GENIO CA-ESARIS, MKV (Moneta Kyzico) Cyzicus:

 

According to Failmezger CMH combined the value of 100 sestertii and 48 (MH in Greek) coins to the pound. How certain this is, I do not know. I understand the 48 to the pound (~329g) but am less certain of the sestertii use. However, later, Licinius revalued his reduced follis to 12 1/2 denarii or half the 100 sestertii number so it does seem possible. This is a question for someone above my pay grade.

 

These are the questions that always get me asking - why? how do we know? ...

J. Maurice, La Nmismatique Constantinienne. 3 vols. (Paris:Leroux, 1908-1912), xxxvi–xxxvii. Apparently has an opinion - but I could not find it.

Kent, J. (1957). THE PATTERN OF BRONZE COINAGE UNDER CONSTANTINE I. The Numismatic Chronicle and Journal of the Royal Numismatic Society, 17, 16-77.
on page 74, Kent doesn't offer much:

A later reference in this paper from Sutherland links it to this other code on coins from Lyon:

(link to ACSearch coin)
Sutherland, C. (1961). Denarius and Sestertius in Diocletian's Coinage Reform. The Journal of Roman Studies, 51, 94-97. doi:10.2307/298841


This paper by Maria del Mar Royo Martinez.
«Simbología y poder en las emisiones de bronce constantinianas», Gaceta Numismática, Nº 168 (2008), pp. 15-44.

"The initials CMH at the end of this legend have been interpreted as follows: the first one (C) as a value mark, corresponding to the initial one hundred (sesterces) while the MH corresponds to the Greek number forty-eight, that in the opinion of JI San Vicente would be related to the theoretical number of coins in a pound."

A note from Victor Failmezger in Roman Bronze Coins From Paganism to Christianity, 294-364 AD[*]
"The meaning of the CMH ligature, used at Nicomedia and Cyzicus, is uncertain but it may be a mark of value indicating 48 coins per pound of bronze." [*]

Value of 100 (C-centum) sestertii struck at 48 to the pound (Greek M for 40, Greek letter H for 8)

No clear source or good answers - maybe a few more places to look.

 

Genius holding head on a platter
MAXIMINUS II DAIA
AE Follis. 4.65g, 22.2mm. Antioch mint, AD 312. RIC VI Antioch 164b. O: IMP C GAL VAL MAXIMINVS P F AVG, laureate head right. R: GENIO AVGVSTI, Genius standing left, modius on head, holding head of Sol and cornucopia; ANT in exergue, *-Z in field.
Ex Phillip Davis Collection

Another AVGVSTI, but a less common variety with Genius holding a little Victory

LICINIUS I
AE Follis. 5.8g, 20.6mm. Antioch mint, AD 311-312. RIC VI Antioch 162 corr. (no eagle). O: IMP C LIC LICINNIVS P F AVG, laureate head right. R: GENIO AV-GVSTI, Genius standing left, modius on head, naked except for chlamys over left shoulder, holding Victoriola and cornucopiae; star in left field, H in right field, ANT in exergue.

 

Constantine I ("the Great")
Alexandria mint, A.D. 311-312
RIC 145
Obv: FL VALERIVS CONSTANTINVS P F AVG
Rev: BONO GENIO PII IMPERATORIS - Genius, modius on head, holding cornucopiae and pouring wine from patera
ALE in exergue; [crescent] over K in left field, A over X in right
25 x 23 mm, 7.0 g.

 

Found it here (page 54 of the pdf):
"Second issue: including the period after July 25, 306, with the elevations of Constantine to Caesar, and Severus II to Augustus; and November 11, 308, elevation of Licinius to Augustus."

"The bronze coins of this issue reduced relative to previous ones. They have, on average, a diameter of only 22 millimeters, and weigh 7.5 grams to 8 grams. There is an acronym CMH written at the end of the legend on the reverse of these coins. The coincidence of the decrease in the weight of bronze coins with the appearance of the acronym CMH allows us to conclude that it is an indication of value."

 

Great info @Sulla80 , thanks!

 

Thanks - I like your coin with it's legend that (potentially) says "here's my conversion rate" and seeing how information/prevailing ideas evolve over time