Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Roman Collector, post: 3447105, member: 75937&quot;]Excellent start to your collection! Each of your coins features something interesting and noteworthy.</p><p><br /></p><p>1. Caracalla antoninianus -- Caracalla was the emperor who introduced this denomination, valued at 2 denarii even though it weighed only 50-60% more than a denarius. Caracalla is a nickname; his real name is on the inscription: ANTONINVS. We don&#039;t know what the Romans called this denomination, but coin collectors call it an antoninianus because it was introduced by Antoninus (Caracalla). </p><p><br /></p><p>2. The Commodus is a typical example of a denarius of that period. Its reverse features Concordia, the personification of harmony and accord. The reverse design of yours is therefore similar to this one of mine, though the reverse inscription is completely different:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]915213[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>3. That Julia Domna is very desirable. It&#039;s well-struck and well-preserved. As [USER=19463]@dougsmit[/USER] noted above, it&#039;s from a branch mint in Syria. The older references say it was minted in Laodicea, but modern scholarship has called that into question and the most intellectually honest thing is to say &quot;unknown Syrian mint.&quot; How do we know it&#039;s from this mint? Because it has a mint-mark of sorts, unique to coins of Julia Domna -- the loop on the drapery of her shoulder coming up along the side of her neck. Here&#039;s one from the Rome mint for comparison:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]915215[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>4. That&#039;s an astonishingly nice portrait of Lucilla! Mine, for example, is of a less fine style and depicts the empress with a different hairstyle. </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]915219[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>5. The Marcus Aurelius is a very nice example, with good centering, full legends, nice toning and a desirable reverse type (Mars).[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in