Need help with Philip I Provincial

The obverse jibes with various provincial types, but I can't locate a reference for the reverse. It looks similar to Provincia Dacia coins, but the legend isn't right. And that's a four-legged creature on the left at her feet, not an eagle. Does anyone have good provincial references to help me ID this coin? At AE32 it would be a Sestertius, right?

 

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Well, it appears I've found it. I believe it's this coin...



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Date Struck
Year 9 = 248 AD.

Mint
Viminacium in Moesia Superior.

Obverse
IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG, laureate, draped & curiassed bust right

Reverse
P M S COL VIM, Moesia standing left between bull & lion, AN VIIII in ex.




Reference
Moushmov 36,VIIII


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Except mine is year 8. Does anyone know what that translates into?

 

I think helveticas has a spreadsheet for these with which you could Id it with. BTW nice coin!

 

I think I did ok for $21 - I've been looking at the offerings at vcoins, and a few dealers are asking $60 - $100 for exactly this coin in comparable grades. But I know vcoins is pricey. Anyway, I like the idea of a low-budget set of sestertii.

 

$20?!?

Great Price!

For a Great Coin...

Love the type of Moesia between two Legion mascots!

Year 8 = 247 AD

 

Here's the auction...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ANCIENT-ROMAN-COIN-PHILIP-I-THE-ARAB-32MM-244-249-AD-VF-VERY-FINE-HUGE-/151004709269?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT&nma=true&si=rNnUTDtMXC3YgvV8%252BlWmIkV6LFg%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

As to the year, what does it refer to? Year of what?

 

Eighth year of Minting Privileges.

 

Btw, if its a provincial, its not properly termed a sestertius usually. This is because in the provinces they had their own coinage system. We do not really know the names they used, or the specific value of the denominations in most cases. This is why most provincials are most properly termed AEXX. Yours would be an AE32 of Moesia Superior.

Very nice coin for $20. Great job.

 

Thanks Chris...I hope it's not fake - that would be just my luck.

But I don't think the seller was trying to swindle anyone. He primarily deals with cards, but he had a handful of un-attributed ancients up for sale last night. My guess is he bought someone's card collection and it had a few coins in it, and he just wanted to unload them.

 

I see absolutely no signs at all that coin is fake. You paid a good price for it, but not unheard of. I have bought similar for similar prices at times, (yeah I was lucky like you but it happens). At those Vcoins prices I would not be interested for some reason I was VERY interested in the type.

That's a huge consideration. A coin's maximum value is to those who for some reason are really into the type. My best deals have always been in coins I was not really "into". I think it was because I was able to negotiate better because I was not drooling over them. There very well is probably collectors who collect this city or interesting reverse type who would pay much more than you did. I am not one of those, but throw out an ancient rhino and I would probably push an old lady on the ground to be able to bid.

Depends on what you are into.

 

I took your advice to heart and keep my eyes peeled for what becomes available at a reasonable price - rather than insist on a narrow focus. I save the narrow focus for my Kennedy set.

 

Great job.

Narrow focus is still appropriate as well. Since I have been around longer I have several subsets going at any one time, but I admit I spend more time looking at Persian and Central Asian, (especially hunnic), coins than others. So, its really a combination of remembering your areas of interest, but also buying what you can, when you can, if something in your area of interest is not for sale at what you consider a "reasonable" price. I could chase down a Sassanid I really want today and pay high retail for it, but don't. I will buy it WHEN I can find it at a reasonable price. In the meantime, I have bought groups of parthian bronzes, arab byzantine, ancient Judea, and elamite while waiting for my Sassanids I want to become available.

The problem, (at least for me), is interests change. Keeping an open mind in collecting allows you to buy more at better prices.

Anyone wanting a really good background book for coin collecting should read Frank Robinson's "Confessions of a Numismatic Fanatic". It might be tough to find, but a great read. I already was the way I am, but reading his stories, how keeping an open mind allowed him to get some great deals and open up whole new areas of interest, really resonated with me. One of my favorites books about numismatics.

If I had to paraphrase the book for others, it would be "all coins are good", (yes Bing, even central asian coins, they won't bite). There is no such thing as an uninteresting coin, they are only uninteresting because you do not know the whole story yet.

 

I agree.

 

Nice coin, I particularly like the reverse. Looks like its got green patina too.

 

The seller's pictures are dark. I did an Auto-Level on the color to see if there might be anything there, and it appears to have some green patina. I'll have to wait till I have it in hand, but I'm happy with brown bronze as well.

 

Def looks ok to me; nothing to worry about.

 

Here is my version. From a different year of course. 18.02 grams. 28.5 mm at its widest point.

 

I got mine for $27.00 and I don't think mine is fake.

 

Yours is in much better shape than mine, but it's hard to pass on a problem-free specimen at a low price, even if it's worn down to F.

 

These also come in a half size AE23 with radiate crown. Mine weighs 9.3g. I agree it is inappropriate to call it a dupondius and also that we have no idea what they did call them. They may have use the term dupondius but we don't know. the small ones are not as common and not as impressive so most people would really rather have a nice big one like yours. Mine range from a Godiian III to Trebonianus Gallus (year 13) and the series includes family so you can get the women. The last ones weigh less than half of the first but the animals and date series is the same.

Herennia Etruscilla


Hostilian

The OP coin strikes me as genuine and maybe even a bargain.