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<p>[QUOTE="Al Kowsky, post: 4322593, member: 97383"]Guy Lacam authored a monumental study of two volumes (1107 pages), <i>La fin de L'Empire romain et le monnayage or en Italie: 455-493 </i>(The end of the Roman Empire and the Gold Coinage in Italy: 455-493), copyright 1983, published by Adolph Hess. Many experts and European auction houses are using Lacam's publication as the bible for Roman gold coinage for the period of AD 455-493. I became aware of Guy Lacam and the coin pictured below 33 years ago while browsing thru the NFA XVIII Auction catalog, April 1, 1987.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1098099[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1098023[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In January of 2003, CNG offered the same coin in their Triton VI auction, lot 1186, with virtually the same description. The very same coin reappeared in September 2017, in CNG Auction 106, lot 862, with a more detailed description and different attribution, see the attached link below.</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=342581" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=342581" rel="nofollow">https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=342581</a></p><p><br /></p><p>The coin is now described as "uncertain mint" and they suggest a well structured official mint whose identification is not yet certain. Are they hinting at the mint of Constantinople ? At this point I decided to bid on the coin and won it at CNG Auction 106. M.A. Metlich, a well respected numismatic researcher, states "no solidi of Zeno can be attributed to Theodoric". We know barbarous solidi were struck in the name of Zeno, so who made them ? We know that Zeno died in AD 491, and Theodoric was at war with Odoacer from 489-493, so it seems unlikely that Theodoric struck any coins of Zeno when he was still alive. On the other hand it's entirely possible that Theodoric struck coins in Zeno's name after Zeno's death, a custom not uncommon with barbarian kings. Did Metlich consider this ? We know that Odoacer struck coins in the name of Zeno as did other barbarian tribes. Some of these other Germanic solidi look nothing like the coins of Odoacer or Theodoric, see two examples below.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1098057[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Uncertain Germanic Tribe, late 5th Century AD, AV Solidus: 4.47 gm, 20 mm, ex Triton XXI, lot 914. Al Kowsky Collection.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>[ATTACH=full]1098059[/ATTACH] </b></p><p><b> Kunker Auction, Autum 2017, lot 1241, AV Solidus: 4.50 gm, 21 mm. Possibly Frankish or Visigothic.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p>Jean Elsen & Sons auctioned the solidus pictured below in September 2014.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1098063[/ATTACH]</p><p><b>Ostrogoths, Theodoric the Great (493-526) In the name of Zeno, circa 490, Bologna Mint, AV Solidus: 4.47 gm, 21 mm. Ref., Lacam 56, 41-43 var.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p>For comparison see the Elsen coin pictured below my coin. It is obvious both coins were struck with the same obverse die, something rarely seen on late Roman gold. The reverse dies were different with the major differences being the officina marks, my coin the 5th officina & the Elsen coin the 2nd officina. The bottom inscription on my coin is <b>CON OR</b>, and <b>CON OB</b> on the Elsen coin.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1098082[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Theodoric did strike coinage from the Rome mint in the name of Anastasius, see the two examples pictured below. The top coin came from Sincona 1 Auction, lot 252, June 2011, and is presently in my collection. The bottom coin came from CNG Triton XVII Auction, lot 896, Ex Guy Lacam Collection. Both coins were struck from the 1st officina but from different dies, circa 491-518. They could be the work of the same celator.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1098095[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>References:</p><p>1. La fin de L'empire romain et le monnayage or en Italie: 455-493, Guy Lacam, 1983,</p><p> Adolph Hess, Lucerne, Switzerland.</p><p>2. Byzantium, <i>The Early Centuries</i>, John Julius Norwich, Alfred A. Knopf, 1992, NY</p><p>3. Essay by Filippo Carla, The End of Roman Gold Coinage and the Disintegration of a</p><p> Monetary Area, 2008, Academia.</p><p>4. Numismatic Fine Arts Inc., Beverly Hills, CA</p><p>5. Classical Numismatic Group LLC, Lancaster, PA</p><p>6. Sincona AG, Zurich, Switzerland</p><p>7. Jean Elsen & Sons, Brussels, Belgium</p><p>8. Kunker Auctions, Osnabruck, Germany[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Al Kowsky, post: 4322593, member: 97383"]Guy Lacam authored a monumental study of two volumes (1107 pages), [I]La fin de L'Empire romain et le monnayage or en Italie: 455-493 [/I](The end of the Roman Empire and the Gold Coinage in Italy: 455-493), copyright 1983, published by Adolph Hess. Many experts and European auction houses are using Lacam's publication as the bible for Roman gold coinage for the period of AD 455-493. I became aware of Guy Lacam and the coin pictured below 33 years ago while browsing thru the NFA XVIII Auction catalog, April 1, 1987. [ATTACH=full]1098099[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1098023[/ATTACH] In January of 2003, CNG offered the same coin in their Triton VI auction, lot 1186, with virtually the same description. The very same coin reappeared in September 2017, in CNG Auction 106, lot 862, with a more detailed description and different attribution, see the attached link below. [URL]https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=342581[/URL] The coin is now described as "uncertain mint" and they suggest a well structured official mint whose identification is not yet certain. Are they hinting at the mint of Constantinople ? At this point I decided to bid on the coin and won it at CNG Auction 106. M.A. Metlich, a well respected numismatic researcher, states "no solidi of Zeno can be attributed to Theodoric". We know barbarous solidi were struck in the name of Zeno, so who made them ? We know that Zeno died in AD 491, and Theodoric was at war with Odoacer from 489-493, so it seems unlikely that Theodoric struck any coins of Zeno when he was still alive. On the other hand it's entirely possible that Theodoric struck coins in Zeno's name after Zeno's death, a custom not uncommon with barbarian kings. Did Metlich consider this ? We know that Odoacer struck coins in the name of Zeno as did other barbarian tribes. Some of these other Germanic solidi look nothing like the coins of Odoacer or Theodoric, see two examples below. [ATTACH=full]1098057[/ATTACH] [B]Uncertain Germanic Tribe, late 5th Century AD, AV Solidus: 4.47 gm, 20 mm, ex Triton XXI, lot 914. Al Kowsky Collection. [ATTACH=full]1098059[/ATTACH] Kunker Auction, Autum 2017, lot 1241, AV Solidus: 4.50 gm, 21 mm. Possibly Frankish or Visigothic. [/B] Jean Elsen & Sons auctioned the solidus pictured below in September 2014. [ATTACH=full]1098063[/ATTACH] [B]Ostrogoths, Theodoric the Great (493-526) In the name of Zeno, circa 490, Bologna Mint, AV Solidus: 4.47 gm, 21 mm. Ref., Lacam 56, 41-43 var. [/B] For comparison see the Elsen coin pictured below my coin. It is obvious both coins were struck with the same obverse die, something rarely seen on late Roman gold. The reverse dies were different with the major differences being the officina marks, my coin the 5th officina & the Elsen coin the 2nd officina. The bottom inscription on my coin is [B]CON OR[/B], and [B]CON OB[/B] on the Elsen coin. [ATTACH=full]1098082[/ATTACH] Theodoric did strike coinage from the Rome mint in the name of Anastasius, see the two examples pictured below. The top coin came from Sincona 1 Auction, lot 252, June 2011, and is presently in my collection. The bottom coin came from CNG Triton XVII Auction, lot 896, Ex Guy Lacam Collection. Both coins were struck from the 1st officina but from different dies, circa 491-518. They could be the work of the same celator. [ATTACH=full]1098095[/ATTACH] References: 1. La fin de L'empire romain et le monnayage or en Italie: 455-493, Guy Lacam, 1983, Adolph Hess, Lucerne, Switzerland. 2. Byzantium, [I]The Early Centuries[/I], John Julius Norwich, Alfred A. Knopf, 1992, NY 3. Essay by Filippo Carla, The End of Roman Gold Coinage and the Disintegration of a Monetary Area, 2008, Academia. 4. Numismatic Fine Arts Inc., Beverly Hills, CA 5. Classical Numismatic Group LLC, Lancaster, PA 6. Sincona AG, Zurich, Switzerland 7. Jean Elsen & Sons, Brussels, Belgium 8. Kunker Auctions, Osnabruck, Germany[/QUOTE]
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