Can someone confirm my ID of this coin? I think it's a Tacitus antoninianus: IMP C M CL TACITVS AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right / PROVIDE AVG, Providentia standing left, holding globe and transverse sceptre. Probable mintmark - VI. The only problem is I can swear I'm seeing N instead of C in the obverse legend like "IMP C M N", the rest being unreadable obviously. I must be imagining this since I couldn't find such an obverse legend.
It's hard to say... you'd have to get a better photo of the legend but it's of that era (Tacitus and... (the other guy who I think it may be). It could be Florian! (even shorter reign than Tacitus) The below photo and attribution is from Wildwinds: http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/ric/florian/t.html Florian AE Antoninianus. AD 276. Ticinum mint. Obv: IMP C M AN FLORIANVS P AVG, radiate, cuirassed bust right. Rev: PROVIDE AVG, Providentia standing left, holding globe and sceptre. Mintmark VI. RIC V-1 Ticinum 82; Sear 11867.
I can't read the necessary part of the inscription to say, but it just doesn't LOOK like Tacitus. Here are some of my Tacitus coins for comparison:
The type exists with this bust for both emperors:- More detail from the obverse legend is key. (I would bet on Florian though) http://www.ric.mom.fr/en/coin/3853 http://www.ric.mom.fr/en/coin/4390
I can't make out the legend at all, but I agree that it does not look like Tacitus. On most of Tacitus's coins he appears to have some frontal balding or thinning of his hair and a more prominent forehead.
If you follow the first of the two links in my previous post and look at the images of the other examples then you will note that the receding hairline is not as pronounced on these coins.
Thank you, everyone! That's definitely Florian from Orange Julius' post and IMP C M AN fits what I'm seeing. Somehow, I didn't even think of Florian and focused straight on Tacitus even though I did notice the difference in the portrait. PS. Finally. Something interesting in an "uncleaned" lot. PPS. It's 3.2 g and 21-22 mm.
