I have the following coin which is clearly a local issue (that is to say not an official product of the Roman Mint) of an As of Claudius. My question for those familiar with issues of this type is: Is there any way to know more about this coin such as where, when and by whom it was minted? The coin has a weight of 8.7g and is 26mm in diameter at the widest point. Many thanks in advance!
A bump reply since no one else did. Can't help with the question but its a lovely looking bronze. Almost has an eastern asia kinda of portrait cause of the eye.
From style alone it's from a Spanish mint. Different coin, but style wise it appears to be similar to mine below CLAUDIUS AE As OBVERSE: TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG P M TRP IMP P P - Bare head left REVERSE: CONSTANTIAE AVGVSTI - Constantia standing left, raising hand and holding spear; S C across fields Struck at Spain, 42/3AD 12.7g, 25mm RIC111, BMC201, S1858
There is a lot written about imitations of Claudius types. Some is here: http://esty.ancients.info/imit/ and much more is in the articles cited on the page of reference works linked at the end of that URL. On the reference page I wrote: "If you are interested in ancient imitations, you will find the literature somewhat unsatisfactory. The first work you should consult is the late George Boon's long (87 pages, 8 plates, and some line drawings) survey article,"Counterfeit Coins in Roman Britain," in Coins and the Archaeologist, second edition, 1988, edited by John Casey and Richard Reece and published in the Seaby series coin books. The article is well illustrated, heavily footnoted, and covers almost the entire range of ancient imitations of Roman coins." That OP type is very commonly found in England, and not commonly found elsewhere.
Most often you will not be able to determine where a local imitation was produced unless it is well documented and studied (Celtic from the Balkan region, barbarous radiates, etc). More often it will depend on whether or not you have reliable information about its find spot (highly unlikely) but with Claudius most often it is Spain and Britain. From this time period imitations were not counterfeits really, but issued out of necessity due to a lack of mint coinage. One would have to dive into the topic to decide which is more likely but that is the best answer one can get in general. I think this is my only imitation in my collection: CNG 384, Lot 551. Claudius. AD 41-54. Æ Sestertius (31.5mm, 18.67 g, 6h). Contemporary imitation of Rome mint issue. Laureate head right / Spes advancing left, holding up flower and raising hem of skirt. For prototype, cf. RIC I 99 and 115. Fine, green and brown patina. From the estate of Thomas Bentley Cederlind. Tom was a big collector of imitations, which he never sold that I recall.
Can anyone shed light on why we have so many Branch/Unofficial bronzes of Claudius but so few of Caligula or Nero? What political situation was driving this need for coins? My Claudius imitation 'sestertii': 17.6g (too light!) - I'd expect an official sestertius to be 23-30g. Revalued by countermark down to a dupondius (DV) due to light weight (18.2g):
Stealing from Sherlock Holmes the simplest answer is likely to be the correct one. I would assume that the official mint acknowledged the need for small change and greatly increased its output and distribution into those areas of need and this is why later issues do not appear as frequently. We can see many modern similarities. In Britain, Ireland and Scotland there was a huge lack of and need for halfpennies and farthings in the late 18th Century and a bit into the 19th. The response was privately issued merchant tokens, what are now commonly called Conders. These were generally of correct weight and circulated side by side with official mint issues. They were accepted as money and were spendable just as any official issue (just as in Roman times).
"Spanish mint" was certainly my guess. What a "bullheaded" portrait! Claudius looks like quite a bruiser in the OP coin! Was probably much more the bookish-nerdy type in person, I'd guess.
