Featured LIBERALITAS

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Roman Collector, Dec 14, 2018.

  1. Severus Alexander

    Severus Alexander find me at NumisForums

    Thanks for reviving this great thread! I missed it the first time around.

    I'll follow up with another SA, my favourite Liberalitas coin... it's a rare as from his first liberality upon accession, just after the murder of Elagabalus.
    Screen Shot 2019-06-02 at 11.58.53 AM.jpg
     
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  3. 7Calbrey

    7Calbrey Well-Known Member

    I found a small coin of Alexander Severus that weighs only 2 g. as well as another of Philip which happens to be an ancient imitation.

    AlexLib.JPG AlexLrb R.JPG PhiLian  ric 38b       Contp imit.jpg PhiLiantoni R  liberalitas.jpg
     
  4. Jims Coins

    Jims Coins Well-Known Member

    ADB-333 REV.jpg ADA-332 OBV.jpg ADA-332 REVP.jpg ADA-332 OBV.jpg ADA-332 REVP.jpg
    AE (as) minted at Rome during the reign of Claudius between 41-50 A.D. Obv. TI.CLAVDIVS.CAESAR.AVG.P.M.TR.P.IMP. bare head left. Rev. LIBERTAS.AVGVSTA.S.C. Libertas, dr., stg. facing, head right, holding pileus, l. extended: S---C to l. and r. RCS #638. RICI #97. DVM #16.
     
  5. Severus Alexander

    Severus Alexander find me at NumisForums

    Note that Libertas is the personification of freedom, as opposed to Liberalitas who personifies generosity. But the Claudius Libertas is still a great type. :)
     
  6. Jims Coins

    Jims Coins Well-Known Member

    CCA-223 OBVP.jpg CCA-223 REVP.jpg
    Denarius minted at Rome during the reign of HADRIAN in 123 A.D. Obv. IMP.CAESAR.TRAIAN.HADRIANVS.AVG. laur. head r. Rev. P.M.TR.P.COS.III./LIB.PVB. Libertas seated l. on throne, holding branch and sceptre. RSCII #903. RICII #127. BMC #284. DVM #47/10.
     
  7. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    Confusing Libertas and Liberaitas is easy to do. It is even found on coins (usually unofficial) like this Severus Alenander with legend LIBERTAS AVG but a figure of Liberalitas.
    rn0240bb0822.jpg
     
  8. Jwt708

    Jwt708 Well-Known Member

    I missed this thread the first time around too...interesting to note, my newest coin is already featured in this thread!;)
     
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  9. Valentinian

    Valentinian Well-Known Member

    Mine has a good pedigree.
    Commodus. Sestertius.
    TRP VI IMP IIII COS III PP
    in ex: LIB AVG IIII
    Struck Jan 1-Dec. 9, 181.

    Commodus3sest86171.jpg

    Ex. British Museum, 1986.
    I have a file of correspondence about it. I traded it for a Flavian provincial coin the BM wanted (I will not say which one. Don't ask). The story is complicated and I doubt if I would remember it properly if it weren't for the 12 letters I still have of our correspondence (which I just reread). (Remember when people sent letters?)

    In 1986 I bought the small collection of a man who lived in a nearby city. With it came a letter from the BM written in 1985 asking him if he would sell the provincial coin to them. He had bought it from Empire Coins. I infer they saw it in a catalog, but it had sold to him already, so they got his name and wrote him. He didn't sell it to them because the coin came to me. However, when I saw the letter it seemed right the BM have it so I wrote them and said I would bring it by on my trip to attend the 1986 International Numismatic Congress in London.

    I did and they still wanted it and asked if I would accept a trade. I said I would. They said they would need some time to come up with a possible trade, so we agreed to complete the trade by correspondence. To trade away a coin they had to have a better one and their choice of coin had to be approved by John Kent (curator at the time). Their first offer which I accepted fell through because it differed in a few details from the better one they had and consequently was vetoed by Kent. Later I got a letter and a B&W print (I still have it) of this coin the mail. The letter ended "What do you think? (JK has already approved this one!)"

    I thought the Commodus sestertius was wonderful. I was not expecting such an excellent coin. The BM did have one extremely similar and even better. You can see it on plate 103.1 of BMC IV, Commodus 453.
     
  10. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    Very nice coin, @Valentinian !

    Or here.

    670878_001_l.jpg
     
  11. maridvnvm

    maridvnvm Well-Known Member

    A selection from the eastern Severans

    A fairly standard Liberalitas.

    Septimius Severus denarius


    Obv:– IMP CA L SEP S-EV PER AVG COS - II, Laureate head right
    Rev:– LIBE-R AVG, Liberalitas standing left, holding abacus in right hand, cornucopiae in left
    Minted in Emesa. A.D. 194-195
    Reference:– BMCRE -. RIC-

    [​IMG]

    Liberalitas but with legend LIBERT

    Septimius Severus denarius

    Obv:– IMP CAE L SEP SE - V PERT AVG COS I, Laureate head right
    Rev:– LIBERT AVG, Liberalitas standing left, holding abacus in right hand, cornucopiae in left
    Minted in Emesa, A.D. 193
    References:– RIC Page 139 (-) (this reverse type not listed for COS I)

    2.83g, 19.51mm, 0o

    [​IMG]

    Liberalitas seated

    Septimius Severus denarius

    Obv:–L SEPT SEVER P-ERT AVG IMP VIII, Laureate head right
    Rev:– LIB-ER AVG, Liberalitas seated left, holding abacus in right hand, cornucopiae in left
    Minted in Laodicea-ad-Mare. A.D. 195 - 196
    Reference(s) – BMC -. RIC -, RSC -

    [​IMG]
     
  12. Terence Cheesman

    Terence Cheesman Well-Known Member

    Sestertius of Pius RIC 774 145 A.D.
    On the reverse of this coin the object held by Liberalitas is quite small and cylindrical but the citizen receiving the money is clearly holding out a fold inhis toga piuss18.jpg
     
  13. Sallent

    Sallent Live long and prosper

    41585.jpg Gordian Liberalitas.jpg

    These coins are away on consignment, but they haven't been listed yet, so they are still technically mine.
     
  14. Marsyas Mike

    Marsyas Mike Well-Known Member

    Once again I feel compelled to exhume this thread, because I just like Liberalitas so much, and because it is deserving. And also because I just got a new one of the type, a sestertius of Antoninus Pius - my only Liberalitas of 2021 (so far).

    OCRE gives a wide 145-161 date range for this, but several credible auction houses (Heritage, https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=5571003) narrow this to 147-149 (Rome anniversary celebrations?):

    Antoninus Pius - Sest Liberalitas RIC 776 Jul 2021 (0a).jpg
    Antoninus Pius Æ Sestertius
    (147-148 A.D.)
    Rome Mint

    [ANTO]NINVS AVG PIVS P P [TR P CO]S IIII, laureate head right / LIB[ERALITAS AVG V] S C, Liberalitas standing left, holding cornucopia and coin-counter
    RIC 776; BMCRE 1696.
    (20.30 grams / 31 x 29 mm)
    eBay July 2021

    Any other Liberalitas types out there? I'd like to see them.
     
  15. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    That's a great coin, with historical significance. It was probably issued in AD 147-148 because Pius' fifth congiarium was given for the 900th year of Rome and in celebration of the first decade of his reign.
     
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  16. Marsyas Mike

    Marsyas Mike Well-Known Member

    Thanks RC. Apparently Antoninus Pius had 9 congiarii (-a? - congiariums, to English it). Most of them are not particularly well-documented, but the 900th year celebration certainly makes sense for this issue.

    I'd like to think this coin got chucked out to the citizenry in the Colosseum, lions roaring the background, elephants trumpeting, etc.
     
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  17. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    Oh, yeah! You know some hard-workin' plebian used it to buy his six-year-old daughter some sandals. I'll bet its surfaces have traces of ancient garum and olive oil, centurion sweat, gladiator blood, and pagan altar smoke, too!
     
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  18. ambr0zie

    ambr0zie Dacian Taraboste

    Another Liberalitas from Pius
    upload_2021-7-18_19-13-43.png


    Antoninus Pius AD 138-161. Rome Denarius AR 19 mm., 2,64 g
    RIC III Antoninus Pius 234
    Date Range: AD 153 - AD 154
    Obverse Legend: ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P XVII
    Type: Head of Antoninus Pius, laureate, right
    Reverse Legend: LIBERALITAS VII COS IIII
    Type: Liberalitas, draped, standing left, emptying coins out of cornucopiae, held in both hands
     
  19. Marsyas Mike

    Marsyas Mike Well-Known Member

    That is an unusual and interesting depiction of Liberalitas - dumping the coins right from the cornucopia - I did not know this type existed. Thanks for sharing that.

    Of course now I want one...:woot:
     
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  20. wittwolf

    wittwolf Well-Known Member

    Here my only Liberalitas example:
    Denarius - Emperor Severus Alexander - LIBERALITAS AVG IIII
    Severus Alexander 1.png
     
  21. Severus Alexander

    Severus Alexander find me at NumisForums

    Might as well plop this As in here, issued for SA's third liberality. (It's actually a medallion, note the lack of SC.) Liberalitas is on the left edge of the platform.

    liberalitas platform.jpg
    This coin has one of my longest provenance notes: "Roma 64 lot 795, 28.11.2019; Ex Naumann 76 lot 474 (07.04.2019); Ex Leu 5 lot 760 (23.09.2018), from the G. G. collection; Ex CNG 315 lot 479 (20.11.2013), from the R. D. Frederick collection; previously part of the Curtis Clay collection, acquired by Clay from Lanz Graz IV, 23 November 1974, lot 605, from the collection of the Marquis de Albrecht Hohenkubin (von Kubinzky)(1885-1972) - a collection formed in the early 1900s, buried during Allied bombing of Vienna in WWII, then dug out of the rubble in 1955." (!!)
     
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