I recently scored a nice looking follis from the last Roma E-Auction 58, pictured below. It's struck in the name of Maximian, circa AD 300, Aquileia Mint, 1st Officina, 28 mm, 9.87 gm, 11h. The goddess Moneta is pictured on the reverse holding scales & a cornucopia & the inscription reads: SACRA MONET AVGG ET CAESS NOSTR & AQP in exergue. Photo courtesy of Roma Numismatics Limited. I wanted this coin for comparison to a similar example I bought 15 years ago, from the same mint & officina. The styles are so close I think the coins could have been engraved by the same celator. Another example I bought many years ago from the Aquileia Mint, 2nd Officina, has the common Genius on the reverse with an altar at his feet. This coin is a few years older. The last two coins were purchased in ICG slabs , & have since been removed .
Very neat! And three beautiful folles. Here's an Aquileia under Maxentius a few years later. Is there an Aquileia-ish style? To me it is reminiscent of your coins in the beard & hair, wreath, ties, eyebrow on your third coin, & maybe more...
Severus Alexander, I think you're right . I've got at least a half dozen coins from the Aquileia Mint & stylistically there are strong similarities with all my coins. The mint was opened in AD 294 & closed circa 425, not a very long production time. The celators working there were obviously influenced by the new "Eastern style". Their work was consistently of very high quality.
Great looking coins here. I only have one from Aquileia (if my attribution is right). Constantine Chlorus: Constantius I Chlorus as Caes. (struck by Maximian) Follis (301 A.D.) Aquileia CONSTANTIVS NOB CAES, laureate head right / SACRA MONET AVGG ET CAESS NOSTR, Moneta standing left, holding scales and cornucopiae, V in right field, mintmark AQΓ. RIC VI Aquileia 32a. (8.70 grams / 26 mm)
Some handsome & interesting coins have been posted in this thread ! Below is another handsome example depicting Diocletian, circa AD 300, from the 2nd Officina, 10.07 gm, 28 mm. Many examples have an V or VI in the reverse field. I've never seen an explanation for these marks . Can anyone explain this ?
I'd sat that's quite likely. Even though there were many slaves working at most of the mints preparing the flans and stamping out the coins, the task of engraving the die was usually done by just a couple of highly-skilled specialists. A smaller mint like Aquileia might have only one or two celators.
RIC says it means the fifth and sixth issues of folles at the mint (though they subdivide the sixth into multiple emissions).
Severus Alexander, Thanks for the info , that explanation makes sense. I'll bet the book keeping at that mint was high quality just as their finished product was .
Aquilea certainly is an interesting mint Great acquisition @Al Kowsky Maximianus, Follis - Aquilea mint, 1st officina, AD 301 IMP MAXIMIANVS PF AVG, Laureate head of Maximianus right SACRA MONET AVGG ET CAESS NOSTR, Moneta standing left, holding cornucopia and scales. AQP at exergue, V in right field 10.35 gr Ref :RCV # 13300 (100), Cohen #504, RIC VI # 29b Maxentius, Follis - Aquilea mint, 1st officina, AD 309-310 IMP C MAXENTIVS P F AVG, Laureate head of Maxentius right CONSERV VRBS SVAE, Tetrastyle temple, Roma seated left, a foot on captive, giving a globe to Maxentius standing right. She wolf suckling Romulus and Remus in pediment. AQP at exergue 6.55 gr Ref : RCV # 14992 (100), Cohen #42 Crispus, AE3 - Aquilea mint, 2nd officina CRISPVS NOB CAES, cuirassed and laureate bust right CAESARVM NOSTRORVM, VOT/V within a laurel wreath, AQS. at exergue 3.22 gr Ref : Cohen # 31, Valens, AE1 - Aquilea mint, AD 364 DN VALEN - S PF AVG, diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right RESTITVTOR REIPVBLICAE, Valens standing facing, head right, holding standard and victory. SMAQP at exergue 8.55 gr Ref : Cohen # 40 (100Fr), RIC #6b Q
Slightly out of the ordinary: this one is a variant which is not in RIC. The break CO - NSERVATORI is not recorded (RIC 139 or 141)
