Featured The LONDINIUM mint challenge

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I love the British Museum, I love Big Ben and I even adore the British accent. But London ( Londinium) is also a place with a rich history in the ancient Roman world. So let’s overview some interesting details about this famous polis and mostly about his monetary workshop.
The city
The founding of the city was around 50 AD. The Roman governor of Britain ( Ostorius Scapula ) gave orders to build a permanent base on the north bank of the Thames. Londinium comes from the Celtic Londinion and may relate to a personal name. In 60 AD, Boudicca, Queen of east Anglian tribe the Iceni, instigates a revolt. They sacked and burned the city to the ground. An estimated 70,000- 80,000 Roman and British were then killed in the area, many by tortures. The second, heavily planned, birth of Londinium prospered, and it supplanted Colchester as the capital of the Roman province of Britannia in 100. At its summum in the 2nd century, Roman London had a population of around 60,000. It was a cosmopolitan community of marchands from across the empire. The emperor Hadrian visited Londinium in 122 AD, and the spectacular public buildings from around this period may have been initially constructed in preparation for his visit. In 125 AD, a fifth of the city was destroyed by flames. Shortly after this fire, the construction of the famous wall and its numerous gates began. Built of Kentish ragstones, the City’s Roman wall is nearly 2 miles long and surrounds an area of 330 acres.
Londinium also seems to have shrunk in both size and population in the second half of the 2nd century. The cause is unknown but plague is a possibility, as the Antonine Plague is recorded desolating other areas of Western Europe between 165 and 190.


A bronze head of Hadrian found in London (British Museum)

Septimius Severus was victorious over Clodius Albinus in 197 and shortly afterwards divided the province of Britain into Upper and Lower halves, with the former controlled by a new governor . Regardless of the smaller administrative area, the economic stimulus provided by the Wall and by Septimius Severus's campaigns in Caledonia may have revived London's economy in the early 3rd century. In 286 AD, Carausius declared himself Augustus and trained the locals as sailors and soldiers.
Diocletian and Maximian failed in their attempts to squash Carausius’ reign. His rule extended far into Gaul, and in 290 the two emperors were forced to recognize his regime. In 293 Allectus, Carausius’ minister of finance, killed him and assumed power.Three years later, in 296, the reconquest of Britain began. The reform of Diocletian were introduced: Britain as a whole became the Diocese of the Britain under the administration of the Prefecture of the Gauls based in Trier and was divided from two provinces into four or five. Twice British legions rebelled and elected their own emperors : Magnus Maximus in 382 AD and Constantine III en 407 AD. Both crossed the channel with their army and were defeated.


A piece of the London Wall


Queen Boudicca in John Opie’s painting Boadicea Haranguing the Britons

The mint
The first official Londinium mint was under Carausius in 286 AD. The theory of the operation of a workshop before his reign has not been proven. No coins can be assigned to it on grounds either of style or of mint-marks. The suggestion that it existed in the 2nd century, and that such coins as the Britannia types of Hadrian and Antoninus Pius were its work, is without probability. The barbarous imitations of early Imperial coins, which were without doubt made in Britain, need not have been manufactured in Londinium any more than in any other part of the island where Roman coins were in circulation. Carausius strucked gold, silver, and copper washed with silver in London, which was probably the first of his British mints to operate. He also issued at London aurei with the name and portrait of Maximian. How many officinae were operating in that mint ? Nobody knows but it has been thought that there were as many as six; but so elaborate an organization is unlikely to have existed in the circumstances.

Allectus issued from London gold (on the same standard as had been used by Carausius) and copper (silvered), but no silver. After the reconquest of Britain, the London mint came into line with the other mints as reorganized by the reform of 296. It was, however, never again to issue gold or silver, except for a brief period in the reign of Magnus Maximus. The workshop must have been working down to 388, the last year of his reign. There are many mintmarks for this city : L, LD, LG, LI,LN, LON, LVG, MLL, MSL, PLN, PLON, AVG ( Londinium was renamed Augusta around 325 AD ), AVGOB, AVGPS.
This mint was active under the following issuers

• Diocletian - AD 284 - AD 305
• Carausius - AD 286 - AD 293
• Maximian I - AD 286 - AD 310
• Carausius for Maximian - AD 290 - AD 292
• Carausius for Diocletian - AD 290 - AD 292
• Galerius - AD 293 - AD 311
• Allectus - AD 293 - AD 296
• Constantius I - AD 293 - AD 306
• Severus - AD 305 - AD 307
• Maximinus Daia - AD 305 - AD 313
• Constantine I - AD 306 - AD 337
• Licinius I - AD 308 - AD 324
• Licinius II - AD 317 - AD 324
• Constantine II - AD 317 - AD 340
• Crispus - AD 317 - AD 326
• Constantius II - AD 323 - AD 361
• Helena - AD 324 - AD 341
• Fausta - AD 324 - AD 328
• Valentinian II - AD 375 - AD 392
• Theodosius I - AD 379 - AD 395
• Magnus Maximus - AD 383 - AD 388
• Arcadius - AD 383 - AD 408
• Flavius Victor - AD 387 - AD 388

Now it’s time for the Challenge : how many Londinium coins and emperors can we cover ? Please help me and show me your babies !

Here are 2 of mine :

Carausius


Constantine the Great

 

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I recently got a spectacular London coin, thanks to a tip from @Caesar_Augustus. It came in a group lot for peanuts:



The LON folles are the earliest products of the mint after Constantius took the island back from Allectus. They are very rare. This one (according to Hugh Cloke) is among the earliest, before the design had been fully settled (also note the anomalous "N" in the mintmark). The genius with draped loins is adapted from the Carusius/Allectus coinage and disappeared right away.

Hugh hadn't seen another example like this before, and it will appear in the supplement to their catalogue with a brand new number. So this is the first public appearance of Cloke & Toone 1.01.002A (Maximianus).

(Special thanks to @jamesicus for making me [and many others here] a fan of the London mint coinage!)

 

CONSTANTINE I
AE2 Follis
OBVERSE: Constantine I AE3. 315-316 AD. IMP CONSTANTINVS AVG, laureate, cuirassed bust right
REVERSE: SOLI INVICTO COMITI, Sol, radiate, standing left, chlamys across left shoulder, holding globe, right hand raised, S-F across fields, MLN in ex.
Struck at London 315-16 AD
3.1g, 20mm
RIC VII 43

CONSTANTINE I
AE2
OBVERSE: IMP CONSTANTINVS PF AVG- Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
REVERSE: SOLI INVIC-TO COMITI T-F across fileds, PLN in ex.- Sol standing left, raising hand and holding globe
Struck at London 310 AD
4.0g, 24mm
RIC VI Londinium 121a/122

LICINIUS I
AE2 Follis
OBVERSE: IMP LICINIVS P F AVG, laureate, cuirassed bust right
REVERSE: GENIO POP ROM S-F, Genius standing left, modius on head, loins draped, holding patera & cornucopia, PLN in ex.
Struck at London 313-4 AD
3.1g, 21mm
RIC VII 3
Metal Detector Fine, St Andrews, GB

LICINIUS I
AE2 Follis
OBVERSE: IMP LICINIVS P F AVG, laureate, cuirassed bust right
REVERSE: GENIO POP ROM S-F, Genius standing left, modius on head, loins draped, holding patera & cornucopia, PLN in ex.
Struck at London 313-4 AD
3.2g, 22mm
RIC VII 3

CRISPUS
AE Follis
OBVERSE: CRISPVS NOB CAES, laureate, cuirassed bust right
REVERSE: SOLI INVIC-TO COMITI, Sol standing left, chlamys across left shoulder, holding globe and raising right hand. Crescent in left field. Mintmark PLN. Toone 194; Bourton-on-the-Water hoard 1464-1466
Struck at London 318 AD
3.2, 21mm
RIC VII 144

CONSTANTINE II
AE Follis
OBVERSE: CONSTANTI-NVS IVN NC, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust left
REVERSE: BEATA TRAN-QVILLITAS, globe on altar inscribed VOT / IS / XX, three stars above, PLON in ex.
Struck at London 323-324 AD
2.5g, 19mm
RIC VII 284

 

Maximianus by Carausius / Hilaritas Avggg


Unfortunately my Diocletian by Carausius is off center losing the London mark so someone else can post that one.



My later follis for Diocletian is from the period when London did not place its initials on the coins.

 

@jamesicus gotta love this thread!


CARAUSIUS


RI Carausius usurper in Britain CE 287–293 BI Ant 4.7g 24mm London radiate cuirassed - PAX AVG Pax stndg l branch scepter S—P RIC V 475


CONSTANTINE I


RI Constantine I AVG Follis Votive XX seated captives 2.69g 18mm RIC VII 191 London


ALLECTUS


RI Allectus 293-296 AE Quinarius London Virtus Galley AE17 2-3g S 13870 RIC 55

 

Love this thread! I loved walking around London and seeing bits of the old Roman walls. I wasn't a huge history buff then like I am now but I always thought it was cool. Alas, I have no London coins to share.

 

I remember that roman wall when I was there a couple of years ago.
My London souvenir bought in the heart of London minted by the Romans CONSTATINE I. LONDON 324/5 AD. AE FOLIS, 19.5MM, 3.2GM, RIC VII 294.Sear 16237. RARE.

 

Diocletian abdication issue, ex @jamesicus:

 

@Severus Alexander - that is wonderful coin SA, Congratulations! Hugh Cloke told me about it - what a great acquisition for your collection - I am glad I influenced you!

 

I always liked the reverse on that coin TIF - thank you for posting it.

 

I simply have too many London Mint Tetrarchic coin photos (and a few associated coin photos) to post here so permit me to post the following links to my photo galleries for those who would like to see them:

Selection of folles cataloged in RIC, Vol VI:
https://jp29.org/cgalleryVI.htm

Selection of reduced folles cataloged in RIC, Vol VII:
https://jp29.org/cgalleryVII.htm

I will post some photos of London Mint coins - not just folles - in a few more posts.

 

RIC V (2), Carausius, Antoninianus, No. 475:


IMP C CARAVSIVS PF AVG ......................................... PA - X - AVG | S .....P

Draped, radiate, bust
London Mint.
3.9 gm.

RIC V (2), Allectus, Antoninianus, No. 33:


IMP C ALLECTVS P F AVG ............................. PA - X - AVG ..... S (Pax standing left) A
M L in reverse exergue.

Cuirassed, radiate, bust
London mint
5.1 gm.

RIC V (2), Allectus, Quinarius, No. 55:


IMP C ALLECTVS P F AVG ............................. VIRTVS AVG ..... (Galley)
Q L in reverse exergue.

Allectus "Q" coin issue - The reverse depicts a Roman galley - symbolic of the dominant sea power emphasized by the Usurper Augusti.
Cuirassed, radiate, bust
London Mint.
2.8 gm.

 

Intermediate London Mint coinage (Bastien)

The coin obverses and reverses in this series replicate those of the Constantius Invasion coinage except in some instances the obverse busts are cuirassed (including some with elaborate consular features) and have London mint style small and compact inscriptional lettering. These intermediate style folles were issued immediately following the LON marked coins.

SELECTED EXAMPLE COIN

Intermediate series coin (Bastien), not in RIC, Galerius Maximian, Caesar of the East
CT (Cloke & Toone), No. 1.02.004 (2), c. AD 296, Rarity: R


C VAL MAXIMIANVS NOB C ........................... GENIO POPV -- LI ROMANI

Laureate with truncated bare neck bust.
Long wreath ribbon tie laying on neck
10.1 gm.

 

RIC VI, Londinium, No. 77a, Diocletian, retired senior Augustus
CT (Cloke & Toone), No. 4.01.002, c. May 305 - Spring 307, Rarity: C


DN DIOCLETIANO FELICISSIMO SEN AVG
PROVIDENTIA DEORVM QVIES AVGG

9.5 gm.

RIC VI, Londinium, No. 76b, Maximian Herculius, retired senior Augustus
CT (Cloke & Toone), No. 4.01.003, c. May 305 - Spring 307, Rarity: R


DN MAXIMIANO BEATISSIMO SEN AVG
PROVIDENTIA DEORVM QVIES AVGG

9.8 gm.

And for TIF: the Diocletian Coin was my alternate to the one you got. The depictions of the figures on the reverses of both coins, are in my opinion, outstanding. I got talked out of this Diocletian - much to my everlasting regret.

 

Thanks for the engaging writeup, @Ocatarinetabellatchitchix.

MAXIMIANUS
AE Antoninianus. 4.56g, 24.6mm. Londinium (London) mint, struck under Carausius, circa AD 291-292. RIC 34; Cohen 462. O: IMP C MAXIMIANVS P F AVG, radiate and cuirassed bust right. R: PAX A-VGGG, Pax standing left, holding olive branch and scepter; S-P in fields, MLXXI in exergue.

 

I will follow this interesting thread but will not participate, having nothing from the London mint to share (a bit ashamed though, as I love the city of London and visit it sometimes....)

Great posts folks !

Q

 

I was the underbidder on this one . Great coin! I guess the winner isn't on CT because I haven't seen it posted since last year's auction.

 

Every so often it might be good to post a summary listing the London coins we still lack in this thread. I forget who was on the earlier pages.
Fausta (PLON very weak)

 

I will let the cat out of the bag. I was the lucky top bidder on this one. I have a dedicated post on the evolution of London mint coinage coming soon involving some former @jamesicus coins, like this one here.

 

You lucky duck! I'm envious .