Teensy-Tiny Campgate & Roma City Commemorative & an Aurelian Puzzler

Unattributed lots bring such surprises, or things I know nothing about. Recently I got one that had two miniscule AEs that baffled me - a campgate and a Roma commemorative with the wolf-n-twins.

At first I thought they were barbaric imitative issues - they were so small and crude.

But after doing some digging, I found the campgate was issued by Arcadius, from the Thessalonica mint - and compared to most I found online, mine is actually one of the prettier ones.

The Roma wolf is still a mystery to me - I can't make out the mint mark and it is really crude. Were these commonly this small and this crude?

Here they are, with my best guesses at attribution, first with a Lincoln cent to get an idea of size:





Arcadius Æ 4 (11)
(383-388 A.D.)
Fifth Period, Officina 3
Thessalonica Mint
D N ARCADI[VS P F AVG], pearl-diademed, draped bust r. / GLORIA [REPVBLIC]E, camp gate, Γ to left, TES in exergue.
RIC IX 62c / 3 (S).
(1.14 grams / 11 mm)

City Commemorative Æ 11
(330-333 A.D.)
Siscia Mint (?)
[VRBS R]OM[A], helmeted, cuirassed bust of Roma left / she-wolf left, suckling Romulus and Remus, two stars above, [?]SIS (?) in exergue.
RIC VII Siscia 222 or barbaric imitative. Attribution uncertain.
(0.83 grams / 11 mm)

The lot also included an Aurelian ORIENS that is causing me attribution problems as well - the notes below outlines my problems:



Aurelian Æ Antoninianus
(270-275 A.D.)
Rome Mint?
AVRELIANVS AVG, radiate, cuirassed bust rt. / ORIENS AVG, Sol walking left, holding
globe and raising right hand, foot on one of two bound captives, S (retrograde Z?) XXI in ex.
RIC V 62 ? (see note).
(3.99 grams / 21 mm)

Attribution Note:

RIC 62 (Rome Mint) has many varieties of exergual marks, but not SXXI. Could this S
be a retrograde Z? ZXXI is a listed type.

Ticinum mint has similar mark but has "C" in obverse legend; see RIC 154.

Corrections, speculation, guesses always welcome. Show your...teensy weensy LRB? New-to-you stuff? Aurelian oddities? FDC '51D Lincoln cents?

 

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Nice additions.

My only tiny camp gate.


Magnus Maximus (383 - 388 A.D.)
Æ13
O: D N MAG MAXIMVS P F AVG; Pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right.
R: SPES ROMANORVM; Camp-gate with star between its two turrets // RT
Rome Mint 387-388 A.D.
13mm
1.1g
RIC IX 59.3, p. 131, rare.

From the Doug Smith Collection #1507

 

..hmm...that campgate looks almost barbaric to me...

 

I've got one of those camp gates of Arcadius from an uncleaned hoard:

 

In case you are wondering I didn't post the obverse because it is basically rubbed off...you can just barely make out Arcadius' small head.

 

The more wobbly the campgate, the better I like it.

 

Ruler: Flavius Victor
Coin: Bronze AE4
D N FL VICTOR P F AVG - pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right
SPES ROMANORVM - campgate, four layers, two turrets, star above, no doors.
Exergue:
Mint: Trier (AD 387-388)
Wt./Size: 1.2g / 0.76mm
References:

• RIC IX Trier 87c
• Cohen 5

 

...easier to get in & out eh?!...

 

The VRBS ROMA is an ancient imitation. They are common from England. There are a few on my site about imitations.
http://augustuscoins.com/ed/imit/imitVR.html

 

Thanks, Valentinian - I've been on your site a lot, but I missed this page. Very informative!