While searching about this newly-acquired coin I found that it was struck in Ticinum. That's the first time I encounter such a Mint. The reverse seems to commemorate Constantine the Great through the VOT series. I can read T T in exergue. It weighs 2.64 g. RIC VII - 167 T. Please post your coins from Ticinum if you like.
Here's a Constantine VLPP from Ticinum with a cross on the altar (PT in exergue). Maybe an early Christian reference, or maybe just a control mark with no larger significance. But it seems that someone at Ticinum was using the Latin cross as a control mark earlier than at other mints. Ticinum seems to have some quirky dies, like the SOL facing version of the SOLI INVICTO coins of Constantine, and the cross control mark. Constantine's famous medallion with an alleged early Chi-Rho was also struck at Ticinum.
Nice coin @7Calbrey. The Ticinum mint gained in importance during the late Empire due to its proximity to Milan, which served as an imperial residence. The balance of imperial power in Italy started to shift north because it was easier to respond to crises on the frontier from there and so Ticinum served to provide the coins needed to pay the nearby legionnaires. Here's my Ticinum Diocletian. Roman Empire Diocletian, AD 284-305 AE Follis, Ticinum mint, struck AD 296-297 Dia.: 31 mm Wt.: 8.63 g Obv.: IMP C DIOCLETIANVS P F AVG. Laureate head of Diocletian right Rev.: GENIO POPVLI ROMANI. Genius wearing mural crown holding patera and cornucopia Ref.: RIC VI 33
http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/equiti.html My favorite coins of Ticinum are the Equiti series under Probus where the six officina are lettered in a normal manner P S T Q V and VI but also bear a letter from the code word equiti (dative: dedicated to the horseman). 'Why' is a reason we can only guess. E Prima 1 Q Secunda 2 V Terta 3 I Quarta 4 T V 5 I VI 6 There were also equiti coins from the Rome mint but that is a different thread.
I have only two from this mint. Aurelian founded this mint in AD 273/4 to replace Milan as as the northern Italian mint.[1] These were some of the earliest issues from there: Severina, AD 270-275 Roman billon Antoninianus; 3.10 g, 23.3 mm, 5 h Ticinum, AD 274-275, issue 4 Obv: SEVERINA AVG, diademed and draped bust right on crescent Rev: PROVIDEN DEOR, Fides standing right, holding two standards, facing Sol, standing left, holding globe; in exergue, VXXT Refs: RIC 9; MER/RIC 1554; CBN 646; RCV 11707 Tacitus, AD 275-276 Roman billon antoninianus; 3.57 gm, 21.1 mm Ticinum, AD 276 Obv: IMP C M CL TACITVS AVG, radiate and cuirassed bust, right Rev: VICTORIA GOTTHI, Victoria standing left, holding wreath and palm; P in exergue Refs: RIC 172; Cohen 158; Sear 11821; Hunter 59; CBN 1676 1. Roman coins and their values: Vol. V: The christian empire: the later Constantinian dynasty and the houses of Valentinian and Theodosius and their successors, Constantine II to Zeno, AD 337-491. David R. Sear - Spink - 2014, p. 67
I have a Probus fromTicinum, VI officina (barely visible)! PROBUS (276-282). Antoninianus. Ticinum. Obv: IMP C PROBVS P F AVG. Radiate and cuirassed bust right. Rev: FIDES MILIT / VIXXT. Fides standing left, holding standard in each hand. RIC 365. 24 mm, 3.4 g
SEVERINA Antoninianus OBVERSE: SEVERINA AVG, diademed, draped bust right on crescent REVERSE: PROVIDEN DEOR, Fides with standard and Sol with globe standing facing each other Struck at Ticinum, 275 AD 3.6g, 22mm RIC 9 CARUS Antoninianus OBVERSE: IMP CARVS P F AVG, radiate, cuirassed bust right REVERSE: PAX EXERCITI, Pax standing left holding standard & olive branch, PXXI in ex.(1. officina) Struck at Ticinum (1. officina), 282-3 AD 3.7g, 22mm RIC 75f, C 56
Some of my favorites from Ticinum: Tacitus Augustus, A.D. 275-276 Billon Antoninianus Ticinum mint Obv: IMP C M CL TACITVS AVG Rev: CONSERVATOR MILITVM - Emperor, standing on left, with helmet in military dress, receiving globe from Jupiter, on right, ;leaning on scepter P in exergue RIC 134 22mm, 4.4g. Galerius (Maximian) Caesar, A.D. 293-305 Augustus, A.D. 305-311 Bronze Nummus Ticinum mint, A.D. 295-296 Obv: MAXIMIANVS NOB CAES Rev: GEONI POPV-LI ROMANI - Genius, modius on head, naked but for chlamys hanging from shoulder, holding patera and cornucopiae ST in exergue RIC 30b 28mm, 9.9g. And three coins of Constantine I from Ticinum: A.D. 306 RIC 75 Obv: CONSTANTINVS NOB CAES Rev: VIRTVS AV-GG ET CAESS NN - Helmeted Mars, advancing right, with transverse spear and holding trophy over shoulder ST in exergue; [dot] in left field 27mm, 10.6 g. A.D. 312-313 RIC 133 Obv: CONSTANTINVS P F AVG Rev: SOLI INVI-C-TO COMITI - Sol, head facing forward, holding globe in left hand, raising right ST in exergue 20 mm, 3.8 g. A.D. 316 RIC 45. Obv: IMP CONSTANTINVS P F AVG Rev: SOLI INVI-C-TO COMITI - Sol, saising right hand, holding globe in left. PT is exergue; cross in left field, star in right. 19 mm, 3.9 g.
Those are really nice Glenn. Do those come from your days of buying bulk lots and dealing a bit? Or did you have to seek those coins individually on the market? A few days ago I bought one of those coins with the cross in the reverse left field from Tom Vossen. I blame @Valentinian because I read about that coin on his educational site about potential Christian symbols on Roman coinage and grabbed it when I saw an affordable example pop up on VCoins.
The Galerius was from a small bulk lot of tetrachic-era nummi, an area of interest of mine. The others I bought individually. I'm pretty sure the last coin is the first depiction of intentional Christian symbolism on a circulating coin. There is a well-known silver medallion that precedes it, but I don't think that piece was ever intended for circulation. I don't accept the above Sol coin as proof of the official endorsement of Christianity, as many do, but I agree it provides convincing evidence that the persecution of Christians had ended after the Edict of Milan. I haven't seen @Valentinian's web page. Can you send a link? I think the Edict of Milan is a milestone in history--the first official pronouncement by a government guaranteeing toleration of all religions. Of course, that tolerance didn't last very long, but it was still a breakthrough document.
Here’s the link. He spends some time talking about this very coin. It’s a good discussion, as you might expect from Warren. http://augustuscoins.com/ed/Christian/ChristianTable1.html
I think that the coin: http://feltemp.com/Images/44.jpg A.D. 312-313 RIC 133 Obv: CONSTANTINVS P F AVG Rev: SOLI INVI-C-TO COMITI - Sol, head facing forward, holding globe in left hand, raising right ST in exergue 20 mm, 3.8 g. (Cited from: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ticinum.309831/) is wrongly attributed. Correct attribution is Ticinum ric 3 pag. 360 ST.
Oh, I forgot about this one: Carus, AD 282-283. Roman billon antoninianus, 3.46 g, 21.1 mm, 1 h. Ticinum, 1st officina, 2nd emission, AD 282. Obv: IMP CARVS P F AVG, radiate and cuirassed bust, right. Rev: PAX EXERCIT, Pax standing left, holding branch and signum; PXXI in exergue. Refs: RIC 75F; Cohen 56; RCV --; Pink VI/2, p. 28.
