Hello friends. I've had a number of CT members PM me for advice about Roman coins: what do the inscriptions mean? How can you tell an authentic coin from a fake one? Is such and such a price fair? If you'd like to add some ancient Romans to your collection, I've prepared a small offering with copious notes. I hope you all find this useful, even if you don't buy any coins. My coins are guaranteed authentic for life, meaning that if they are ever determined to be fake by NGC or David Sear, I will refund you in full at any time, no limits. Payment by Paypal is preferred, but I'll take checks and money orders if you're willing to wait a bit for delivery. Shipping is $4, First Class Parcel with tracking. I will combine shipping on orders of more than one coin. Please send me a PM with your requests or questions, and thank you for looking! Without further ado... 1. SOLD ________________________________________ 2. Marcus Aurelius Probus was emperor from AD 276-282. During his reign he repelled a number of Germanic tribes while losing territory to others. He believed that soldiers should never be idle in times of peace, putting them to work planting vineyards, etc. This may have led to his demise. One source records his assassination at the hands of disgruntled troops forced to drain marshes (Historia Augusta, Vita Probi, 20:2-3). One lesson quite a few Roman emperors never seemed to learn: don’t piss off your military. This coin features a long-necked version of Probus. This a rather mild example - some coins have much longer necks. Why he was portrayed as an ostrich on some of his coins remains a mystery. The obverse inscription reads PROBVS PF AVG. PF = PIVS FELIX, or pious and happy (or lucky). On the reverse we see the entrance (ADVENTVS) of the emperor on horseback with a captive at his feet. This type is used by other emperors, but in Probus case, the captive must refer specifically to the Germanic tribes he subdued during his tenure (Goths, Alamanni, Longiones, Franks, Burgundians, and Vandals). The mint mark is found under the devices on the reverse, or in exergue. R stands for the Rome mint, the thunderbolt is a control mark (one of the more interesting ones found on Roman coins), and the letter Z is actually the Greek numeral for 7, indicating the the coin was minted by the 7th workshop, or officina, of the mint. This is a beautiful example of the type, with a natural desert patina. (It seems to have become fashionable lately to clean and re-patinate ancient coins with epoxy resins and other forms of fake dirt. I find this practice abhorrent and will not buy or sell any such altered pieces.) You can be sure this coin arrived at its desert patina honestly, by centuries of accretion. $46 Marcus Aurelius Probus, AD 276-282 Billon Antoninianus, 21mm, 2.3g, 6h; Rome mint, 6th emission, AD 281. Obv.: PROBVS AVG; Radiate, cuirassed bust right. Rev.: ADVENTVS AVG; Probus riding horse left, raising hand and holding scepter; to left, bound captive seated left under foreleg, head right // R thunderbolt Z (7th officina). Reference: RIC Vb Probus 158, p. 35. ________________________________________ 3. Constantine II was the eldest son of Constantine the Great and Fausta. After the death of their father in AD 337, the three brothers Constantine engaged in an epic sibling rivalry in which Constantine II was the first to fall, in an ambush orchestrated by his younger brother Constans. This coin was minted between AD 325 and 326, while Constantine the Great was still alive. Constantine II was only a boy of nine or ten, hence the youthful portrait. The obverse inscription is CONSTANTINVS IVN(or) NOB(ilis) C(aesar), or Constantine Junior, Noble Prince. The reverse of this coin is an iconic Roman type, featuring a military fortress with two signal towers and a star above. This type is colloquially known as a “Campgate.” PROVIDENTIAE CAESS proclaims the providence of the princes. Note that the Romans pluralized CAES with an extra S, referring to Constantine’s brothers. The mint mark in exergue is S(acra) M(oneta) ANT(iochia) Delta, or sacred money from the Antioch mint, fourth workshop. This is an exceptional example of the type: full strike, no weakness anywhere, perfectly centered, with a natural desert patina (typically found on many Antioch issues owing to the dry climate of the region). $51 Constantine II as Caesar, Ad 316-337 Ae follis, 18mm, 3.4g; Antioch mint, fourth officina, AD 325-326. Obv.: CONSTANTINVS ISN NOB C; Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right. Rev.: PROVIDENTIA CAESS; Campgate with two turrets, star above // SMANTΔ Reference: RIC VII Antioch 65, p. 688, R2. ________________________________________ 4. SOLD
