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<p>[QUOTE="Shea19, post: 7660315, member: 90981"]I recently added this beautiful coin of Numerian from the last Nomos auction. Numerian is one of the lesser-known and short-lived emperors of the 3rd Century, and an emperor which had been missing from my collection. After the mysterious death of his father Carus in 283 A.D., Numerian ruled as co-emperor with his brother Carinus for approximately one year, until his reign ended with his own mysterious death.</p><p><br /></p><p>Something about this coin really struck me, and it was my top target from that auction. I was very happy to win it, and even more excited when it got it in hand...it really is a beauty.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1316777[/ATTACH]</p><p>Numerian, Antoninianus, 283 A.D., (22 mm, 3.91 g), Rome mint, Δ = 4th officina, IMP C NVMERIANVS P F AVG Radiate and cuirassed bust of Numerian to right./ <i>Rev.</i> PIETAS AVGG / ΚΑΔ Mercury standing facing, head left, holding purse in right hand and caduceus in left. RIC 414.</p><p><br /></p><p>In my opinion, I think this is about as good as it gets for coins of this era...great portrait, fresh dies, well-centered, good metal, and full, clear legends. I also love the depiction of Mercury on the reverse. </p><p><br /></p><p>Here is a close-up of the portrait (which deserves a better photographer). I especially like the detail on the cuirass/armor:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1316755[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>There is unfortunately only minimal reliable information about the life and reign of Numerian. In 282 A.D., Numerian's father Carus took over as emperor following the death of Probus, and started a short-lived dynasty. After a successful year, Carus died under "mysterious" circumstances, with the rumored cause of death that he was "struck by lightning." (Anyone who believes that Carus was actually struck by lightning should come and visit me here in Brooklyn...I have a bridge I'd like to sell you <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /> ).</p><p><br /></p><p>After the death of Carus in 283 A.D., Numerian and his older brother Carinus were elevated to Augustus, with Numerian remaining in the East and never actually making it back to Rome. While on the way back west, the story goes that Numerian was traveling in a closed carriage, and when soldiers noticed an awful smell coming from the coach, they found Numerian dead. It is not clear whether Numerian was murdered by one of his underlings or simply died due to illness (but because he was a 3rd Century emperor, I think murder is probably a safe bet). I particularly like that this coin was struck in Rome, given that Numerian never actually made it there.</p><p><br /></p><p>I thought this was a lovely coin of an interesting but ultimately inconsequential emperor, and I was happy to add it to my collection. <b>Please share your coins of Numerian, his family, Mercury, or anything else relevant!</b>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Shea19, post: 7660315, member: 90981"]I recently added this beautiful coin of Numerian from the last Nomos auction. Numerian is one of the lesser-known and short-lived emperors of the 3rd Century, and an emperor which had been missing from my collection. After the mysterious death of his father Carus in 283 A.D., Numerian ruled as co-emperor with his brother Carinus for approximately one year, until his reign ended with his own mysterious death. Something about this coin really struck me, and it was my top target from that auction. I was very happy to win it, and even more excited when it got it in hand...it really is a beauty. [ATTACH=full]1316777[/ATTACH] Numerian, Antoninianus, 283 A.D., (22 mm, 3.91 g), Rome mint, Δ = 4th officina, IMP C NVMERIANVS P F AVG Radiate and cuirassed bust of Numerian to right./ [I]Rev.[/I] PIETAS AVGG / ΚΑΔ Mercury standing facing, head left, holding purse in right hand and caduceus in left. RIC 414. In my opinion, I think this is about as good as it gets for coins of this era...great portrait, fresh dies, well-centered, good metal, and full, clear legends. I also love the depiction of Mercury on the reverse. Here is a close-up of the portrait (which deserves a better photographer). I especially like the detail on the cuirass/armor: [ATTACH=full]1316755[/ATTACH] There is unfortunately only minimal reliable information about the life and reign of Numerian. In 282 A.D., Numerian's father Carus took over as emperor following the death of Probus, and started a short-lived dynasty. After a successful year, Carus died under "mysterious" circumstances, with the rumored cause of death that he was "struck by lightning." (Anyone who believes that Carus was actually struck by lightning should come and visit me here in Brooklyn...I have a bridge I'd like to sell you :) ). After the death of Carus in 283 A.D., Numerian and his older brother Carinus were elevated to Augustus, with Numerian remaining in the East and never actually making it back to Rome. While on the way back west, the story goes that Numerian was traveling in a closed carriage, and when soldiers noticed an awful smell coming from the coach, they found Numerian dead. It is not clear whether Numerian was murdered by one of his underlings or simply died due to illness (but because he was a 3rd Century emperor, I think murder is probably a safe bet). I particularly like that this coin was struck in Rome, given that Numerian never actually made it there. I thought this was a lovely coin of an interesting but ultimately inconsequential emperor, and I was happy to add it to my collection. [B]Please share your coins of Numerian, his family, Mercury, or anything else relevant![/B][/QUOTE]
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