Just bought my first ancients

VOT V on the fourth coin refers to the Roman Vota - religious vows taken by the emperors. Many, many Roman coin types commemorated Vota over many centuries. There is a brief but accurate article on wiki here.

At some point there must have been a very large find of these VOT V types of Crispus, because you can get very high-grade coins for very little. Yours is quite pleasing. We could (and have) posted dozens upon dozens of Vota types, but as with all coins, some are common, some rare.

 

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As one who once collected EVERYTHING from some Ancients through all modern issues---I say Amen to Mats quote.

Not to add fuel to the fire ---or I suppose I am---there's also the issue of Fourree(s)


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Fourrée - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourr%C3%A9e

 

I made a shift in my thinking from the mindset of coin collecting to the mindset of archaeology. Then it all makes better sense. Would you expect a level of modern, machined perfection from ancient pottery, architecture, art, etc.? Certainly not. The same holds for the coins.

 

@John Anthony, your assistance on all of these coins is SO very appreciated. Please, as you have time, continue. I consider this type of knowledge worth it's weight in bronze, and higher quality silver!

 

Nice pick ups CBD gee I thought the dark side was shield nickels....

 

Hah! Well, I didn't really mean right away, but I'm eager to see what you bought .

 

Me too!!!

 

The Gallienus ant with Pax reverse is very nice. A collector of moderns might look at that coin and see all of its faults: a soft reverse and irregular, cracked flan (we call planchets "flans" in this neck of the woods, not to be confused with the Mexican dessert). But for unknown reasons, quality control at the Rome mint deteriorated during Gallienus' reign. Quite a few of these coins are struck way off center on terribly ragged flans, and suffer from quite a bit of corrosion.

Yours has a strong bust, complete legends, and smooth surfaces. You can't ask much more of the billon ants of Gallienus. Here's one of mine which is not as nice as yours, but nevertheless represents a mint state coin - this is pretty much what it looked like when it came out of the dies, except the color is darker now.



The quality of minting didn't improve significantly until the reign of Aurelian. Perhaps he crucified a handful of the mint's slaves to improve morale.

 

The follis of Licinius with Jupiter reverse is one of the most common and ubiquitous of ancient coins. For some important historical background, read about the rivalry between Constantine and Licinius, from which the empire was plunged into civil war.

These coins come in many varieties - you could spend a lifetime collecting just the varieties of these types. Your example is a very respectable middle-of-the-road coin. However, they are quite common in higher grades at reasonable prices. I paid $75 for this one.

Notice how stylized these portraits are. By the time of the Tetrarchy, Roman aesthetics had moved away from life-like representations of emperors on coins.

Licinius I
AE Follis, 21mm, 3.18g Siscia mint: 315-316.
Obv.:IMP LIC LICINIVS P F AVG; Laureate head right.
Reverse.: IOVI CON-SERVATORI; Jupiter standing facing, head left, nude but for chlamys across left shoulder, Victory on globe in right hand, scepter in left, eagle with wreath at feet to left; Γ in right field; • SIS • in exergue
Reference: RIC VII, 17.
Ex Harlan Berk, CICF Show, April 2013.

 

C-B-D => Welcome to the Land of Misfit Toys!!



... JA is our ruler

 

LOL Steve - that's the PERFECT analogy. Hahaha.

 

This is the most fun I've had on CT since I joined. Hands down.

 

You heard the man: I'm worth my weight in billon, lol.

 

Now, the provincial coin of Marcianopolis is the gem of the lot. From the looks of the pic, it's got a lovely patina - this coin will feel very good in hand. It also has superb detail. I started this thread about the coinage of Marcianopolis some time ago. Perhaps you should revive it when you get a good pic of your coin. I have some new ones to add as well.

 

I was going to ask, was the difference in artistry between late Roman bronze and say the 12 Caesars coinage a function of different aesthetics/taste, or a lack of skill/loss of knowledge on the part of the engravers?

To my eye, sometime between 220 and 330 they lost the ability to engrave eyebrows...

 

It is a style and fashion thing in some cases but there is always the fact that dies were engraved by many workers including some that should have sought employment elsewhere. The same is true of US coins. Not every one is as well designed as others but we may differ in our opinions as to which are better and which are junk. Late Romans were produced by up to 15 mints in one reign. The made fewer coins in the early years so needed fewer cutters. A very few of us seek out coins struck from better dies rather than coins that are mint state. Today we recognize great artists that are very different than each other. Rome had no Jackson Pollock or Picasso --- well, maybe Magnentius has a Picasso ancestor on staff --- but there is definitely a variety in workmanship.

Lets return to Gallienus. His early coins are pretty well done from some mints but the need for more and more millions of coins caused his later issues to look rushed from some mints. However, later coins from Antioch mint are regularly well made using dies cut in what I consider a boring style compared to some of the others that cut artistically and struck sloppily on ragged flans. Examples:

Early period good portrait work - the reverses of these are often struck from worn dies

Middle period with flan prep getting sloppy

I really don't like the diecutting on this late portrait but the striking and flan preparation are excellent.

 

Believe me it gets even more entertaining and ALWAYS fascinating and informative....Check out the 'Alphabetical A to Z coinage' thread we're all participating in at the moment...

 

Welcome on this great forum!!!

 

Great coins! Starting with late Roman bronzes (mostly) is a very good place to begin. I like the reverse of the Constantius Gallus.

 

Constans AE Centenionalis. 348-350 AD. 2.8g, 18mm

OBV: D N CONSTANS P F AVG, Draped and cuirassed bust right.

REV: FEL TEMP REPARATIO, Constans standing left on galley, holding phoenix and labarum, piloted by Victory. TESB in ex.

REF: RIC VIII Thessalonica 120




Constantius Gallus, Cyzicus. AE3. 2.4g, 18.21mm

OBV: D N FL CL CONSTANTIVS NOB CAES, Bare-headed, draped, cuirassed bust right.

REV: FEL TEMP-REPARATIO, soldier standing left, spearing fallen horseman who has no beard, wears Phrygian helmet, reaching backwards. Mintmark SMK Delta.

REF: RIC VIII Cyzikus 106



Constantine AE3. 319 AD. Arles mint, 3.0g, 18mm

OBV: IMP CONSTA-NTINVS AVG Laureate created helmeted & cuirassed bust right.

REV: VICTORIAE LAETAE PRINC PERP, two Victories facing & inscribing VOT PR on shield placed on plain altar, PARL in ex.

REF: RIC VII Arles 191



Crispus AE3. 320-321 AD. Siscia mint, 3.4g, 19mm

OBV: IVL CRISPVS NOB C. Laureate head right.

REV: CAESARVM NOSTRORVM around laurel wreath containing VOT V, ASIS star in ex.

REF: RIC VII Siscia 161



Gallienus Billon Antoninianus. Mint of Asia. 267 AD, 3.9g, 21.53mm

OBV: GALLIENVS AVG, Radiate, draped & cuirassed bust right.

REV: AETERNITAS AVG, Saturn standing right holding scythe, PXV (short for TR P XV) in ex.

REF: Cohen 44. RIC V-1 (S) 606.



Licinius Æ Follis. 2.5g, 21.44mm

OBV: IMP LIC LICINIVS PF AVG, Laureate head right.

REV: IOVI CON-SERVATORI, Jupiter standing left with victory & sceptre, eagle at foot with wreath in its beak, G to right, SIS in ex.

REF: RIC VII Siscia 8,G



Caracalla Denarius. 209 AD, 1.8g, 19mm

OBV: ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, Laureate head right.

REV: LIBERTAS AVG, Libertas standing left holding pileus & sceptre.

REF: RIC 161, RSC 143, Sear (RCV 2000) 6817