post2 Roman or Greek follis. Help w/ identification appreciated

Hello again, Any advice on identification would be much appreciated. Each of these are quite thick and have approx. diameters a little larger than that of US dimes. Thanks, R

 

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Sorry dude ... I kinda suck at ID-ing (I'm a bit surprised that none of my coin-buddies have chimed-in?)

 

Luckily for you, several of us on CoinTalk love Alexandrian coins and have Keith Emmett's reference book.

Your coins are provincial Romans from Alexandria, Egypt. The denomination is tetradrachm and the metal is a very debased silver.

Here are the full attributions:

Coin 1

EGYPT, Alexandria. Probus
279/80 AD (year 5)
potin tetradrachm
Obv: AKMAVPΠPOBOCCEB; laureate cuirassed bust right
Rev: eagle standing right, head left, wreath in beak; L - Ε
Ref: Emmett 3983 (5); R1 (rarity rating of 1, common)

Obverse abbreviations translation:
A(VTOKPATΩP) K(AICAP) M(APKOC) A(VPHΛIOC) ΠPOBOC CEB(ACTOC)
Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Probus Augustus

Coin 2

EGYPT, Alexandria. Diocletian
286/7 AD (year 3)
potin tetradrachm
Obv: AKΓOVAΔIOKΛHTIANOCCEB; laureate draped bust right
Rev: Tyche standing left with rudder and cornucopia; ETOVC - Γ; star in right field
Ref: Emmett 4082 (3), R1 (rarity rating of 1, common)

Obverse abbreviation translation:
A(VTOKPATΩP) K(AICAP) (AIOC) OVA(ΛEPIOC) ΔIOKΛHTIANOC CEB(ACTOC)
Imperator Caesar Gaius Valerius Diocletianus Augustus

 

=> Like a Princess in shining armour ... well done, TIF

 

Those were easy since the legends were clear. Working on his other post now-- the first coin is a challenge.

 

Thank you very much TIF! I really appreciate it. I thought it looked like a tetradrachm, but was not sure. Cheers.

 

Dang it! I got up late!

Nice work TIF, I was betting on Probus/Diocletian.

 

This Diocletian is an excellent example of the ise of a dot for the O in his name. Not all his coins did that but the ones that do often throw people. It helps on these not to try to read the legends but to write out the possible names and compare what you can see. Probus is given away by the Pi. Maximinianus has a distinctive Xi. Carus has a short name. Don't fool yourself by trying to make sense out of each letter but compare the possible answers from the list of rulers in the period. The small module tets seen the most are mostly after Gallienus and the series ended with the currency reform of the First Tetrarchy. Earlier coins are easier to read.

 

The TT before the Pi is helpful too.

Plus, it generally looks like he's staring.