Meanwhile back at the ranch another from my birthday hoard. Firstly book has arrived one doug mentioned in an earlier post Late Roman Broze Coinage by G Bruck and i can`t find any ref to it as with some others nor find it in sears also not sure its Provincial so i will call it early Imperial. The coin shown is in the condition as bought but i know some of you will know what it is even in this condition or indead have this coin, have it soaking in water to try and remove some of the dirt or patina to get at the lettering. Now i DON`T want to know the name of this coin (not yet) i think one face is that of Tyche and i assume that is the reverse but what i would like to know is where to start have tried a small search but so far unproductive maybe my wording is all wrong so any CLUES would be grateful.
Weight and size could help. Many emperors had the turreted bust of Tyche on the reverse. Here is an example of Caligula (?) from Amasea. It's gonna be really hard to identify without reading the legend...
I do not know the coin but that is a Provincial with Tyche (the books are on Imperials). IF you clean successfully I suspect you will find ANTONINVS so I would start looking a rulers who used that name that had heavy beards. It is NOT Antoninus Pius. See if that helps. There are so many Tyche coins that finding a match might be a matter of luck. The reverse legend would help a lot.
It looks like the reverse inscription is in a straight line rather than curving around the rim. This may be an illusion caused by the dirt covering different parts of the letters, but if it is straight across, that would be highly unusual and would help narrow down the possibilities.
gsimonel same thought went through my mind inscription on reverse but i think in the end i will have to clean it like the others said. Did a quick search on acsearch (nearly 1400 ) to scroll through and there are a few but not one with the same rev. so far. 3rd one from the same hoard again NO names but this one also neads cleaning but would like to know if this is also a Provincial always think a coin with an S C is a provincial coin ? On a lighter note same hoard but i think this time i have ID`d it. Reason i bought it was i have never seen such a coin with a worn and ugly portrait (bit like me) first thought was to try the reverse not imposible but maybe take longer then on the obverse i noticed the last letters icus only two i found was germanicus and tetricus i opted for tetricus problem now was tet1 or tet 11 looking at the letters again i think it`s tet 1 hope i`m correct
In Imperial Rome, gold and silver coins were worth, more or less, their melt value. That was not the case with bronze coins, so their value was guaranteed by the Roman Senate. All Imperial bronze coins up through the 3rd century A.D. had the letters S and C on their reverse, stating this Senate guarantee. The letters were usually either in the exergue or in smaller letters to either side of a reverse figure. So actually, most bronze coins with the letters S and C on the reverse are Imperial. EXCEPT: coins with a large SC, usually within a wreath, on the reverse like the three coins--yours and the 2 of Justin Lee's--shown above, which are from Antioch in Syria. I don't think it is known what the letters on this coins mean, but I could be mistaken about this. You are correct about the other you showed in the same post--it is an antoninianus of Tetricus I. The beard on the obverse portrait is the giveaway. Tetricus II does not have a beard, probably because he died to young to grow one. Here's a typical Imperial bronze with an S and C: Trajan Caesar, A.D. 97 Augustus, A.D. 98-117 Bronze (Orichalcum) Dupondius Rome mint, A.D. 103-111 Obv: IMP CAES NERVAE TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS V P P Rev: SPQR OPTIMO PRINCIPI - Fortuna standing, facing left, holding cornucopia and resting rudder on prow of ship, between S and C RIC 402 29mm, 8.6g. Here is a portrait of Tetricus I: Augustus, A.D. 271-274 Bronze Antoninianus Gallic Empire, unidentified southern mint Obv: IMP C TETRICVS P F AVG Rev: PAX AVG - Pax standing left, holding olive branch and vertical spear RIC 100 18mm, 2.9g. And one of Tetricus II for comparison: Caesar, A.D. 273-274 Augustus, A.D. 274 Bronze Antoninianus Gallic Empire, unidentified southern mint Obv: C PIV ESV TETRICVS CAES Rev: SPES AVG - Spes, walking left, holding flower and raising robe RIC 270 20x18mm, 2.5g.
One last clarification: early Imperial bronzes often had a large SC in the center of the reverse, like those of Antioch, but these were surrounded by an inscription, not a wreath. Plus the size and style is so different that it is easy to distinguish between these and the later coins from Antioch: Germanicus Grandson of Augustus Bronze As Rome mint, A.D. 50-54 Obv: GERMANICVS CAESAR TI AVG F DIVI AVG N Rev: TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG P M TR P IMP PP, encircling SC RIC (Claudius) 106 29mm, 10.5g.
I think this is a Vespasian? BA #55. Smyrna 1970 - Bronze coin (AE 27) minted at Antioch during the reign of VESPASIAN between 69 - 79 A.D. Colonial & Provincial Coinage. Obv. Laur. hd. l. Rev. SC in wreath. RCS # 819.
BC #116. Rufer’s Coin 9-23-94 $3.00 - Bronze coin (AE 24) minted at Antioch during the reign of DOMITIAN between 81 - 96 A.D. Colonial & Provincial Coinage Obv. laur. hd. l. Rev. SC in Wreath. RCS #923.