Hi all! I recently bought this antoninianus of Gallienus, with a rare VICT GAL AVG reverse. (Apologies the picture isn't very good; I've had to use the seller's pics, and this was in a group lot) The coin does have some encrustations on it, although I believe I can see that Gallienus' hair extends down to almost the base of the bust. After some digging, I found this lot that was sold by CNG a while ago for a whopping $525 (auction 296, lot 348). It also has the hair similar to my coin. This differs from other types, which look a bit like these (radiate head r. - https://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/se..._avg__mir_368a__very_rare/259380/Default.aspx, €350EUR) (radiate, draped bust r. - ROMA e-sale 69, lot 1093, £300USD) Might the bust on my coin and the CNG coin be a new variant? I know some very rare antoniniani of Gallienus exist with Gallienus wearing a lion skin. Could my coin be one of them? (Here's a VIRTVS FALERI type with the lion skin bust for reference) Also, why did the coin sold by CNG sell for such a high price, when it is clearly in worse condition than the VCoins coin and the ROMA coin? Thanks in advance for any help you can give
It is hard to give an opinion from your pictures. I’m sure that with the coin in hand and a good magnifier or a 10x stereo microscope you can check it better. However your reverse differ from the other because there is the officina mintmark in exergue. The fully silvered Roma numismatics specimens shows a drapery on the left shoulder.