Trajan Decius Tetradrachm

James, Thanks for posting the 3 Ants . Do you know if they're an Antioch mint product ?

 

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No, they are all Rome issues

 

Nice pick up, Al. Decius tetradrachms are somewhat scarce, and that is a very nice example.

On the Trajan Decius front, I just picked up this sestertius, purchased mainly for the nice portrait and good patina. The strike is somewhat off center and the coin is rather crude and crusty, but that doesn't bother me; it is still a welcome addition.

Roman Empire - Trajan Decius (249-251 A.D.) Æ Sestertius. Rome, AD 249-251.

[IMP] C M Q TRAIANVS DECIVS AVG, laureate and cuirassed bust to right /

GENIVS EXERC ILLVRICIANI, Genius standing facing, head to left, holding patera and cornucopiae, standard behind; S-C across fields.

RIC IV 117a; C. 53.

20.01g, 29mm, 12h.






The legend on the reverse refers to the Genius of the army in Illyria (western Balkans).

 

robinjojo, The coin has a nice high relief portrait & an attractive overall patina . The reverse has an interesting depiction of Genius. Take way the standard & he looks very much like the figure seen on Diocletian era nummi.

 

This antoninianus is from Rome, but the style of the portrait seems more similar to that of Syrian tetradrachms.


TRAJAN DECIUS
AR Antoninianus. 4.91g, 21.4mm. Rome mint, AD 249-250. RIC 12b; Cohen 16. O: IMP C M Q TRAIANVS DECIVS AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right. R: DACIA, Dacia standing left holding staff topped with a wolf-like head (Draco).

 

Thank you, Al. The quality of his and other emperor portraits vary widely. The portrait on the sestertius has a very natural appearance to it.

 

zumbly, The portrait on this coin is extraordinary, the essence of Roman verism ! Decius looks like an old grizzled politician, quite content with his position in life. No attempt was made to soften his features. Decius was a governor of Moesia & Lower Germania, & a distinguished senator who was held in high esteem by the Roman elite, & this portrait reflects those qualities .

 

There was one struck and can be seen in Sear RCV III as 9391.


18.11 mm 3.15 g Ex Michael Trenerry.
These are all excellent coins on this thread. I haven't acquired a Trajan Decius Tetradrachm yet but I found, as @DonnaML stated, that there a lot of good examples of Philip 1 available and I have one but not quite up to the grades on this thread.

 

Dafydd, Many thanks for posting this denarius ! I pulled out my Roman Coins, III & found the listing. The coin is obviously a great rarity; Sear listed the value of an EF example at $7,500.00 17 years ago ! He also listed rare quinarii in the same grade at $2,250.00. I've never seen a denarius or quinarius of Decius come up for sale. I'll have to be on the lookout for a sleeper that might turn up .

 

Great score @Al Kowsky
I feel like I have to post something in this thread (you know how much I like Antioch tets AND Trajan Decius, don't you ? )

Prieur # 528_012, McAlee #1116d



Prieur # 558_08 (2), McAlee # 1140


Prieur # 581, McAlee #1125c



Prieur # 585 (8), McAlee #1125e

Q

 

I was very lucky some years ago and paid nothing like that for it.
It was a complicated trade and I was concerned that it might not be real but Michael Trenerry is a consultant for Dix Noonan Webb so I was confident. He has been a dealer for 50 years and often has rarities but does not use the Internet and sends out paper lists or you call him. He is "old school" and works on trust too.

 

Jean-Claude, I didn't know you had a soft spot for Trajan Decius Tets but can understand why . Thanks for posting this impressive group of Tets ! Your example of McAlee 1140 caught my attention instantly , it's one of the great rarities of the series . Not only is the portrait style rare, but having the "Z" officina mark is the "icing on the cake" . I've been lucky to acquire some impressive rarities from this series too .

 

Thanks for the kind words
It's actually a double entry soft spot, since out of many subsets, TD is one of them and syrophenician tets are another, see below :

Trajan Decius and his family

Syro-phenician tetradrachms

And a little something I wrote about McAlee # 1140

Q

 

Here's my example of a "Z" officina Trajan Decius Tetradrachm from Antioch. It needs a better photo as the lighting makes is look like it has a bit more of a granular surface than it does. I've had thoughts of cleaning it up... but it won't happen as I don't feel confident that I wouldn't ruin the coin. The portrait is really striking in-hand and is much more realistic than the portraits of Rome.

Trajan Decius - Antioch - Prieur 588v2

 

Q, Many thanks for sharing the links to your collection, I enjoyed browsing through them ! The coins are wonderful, well organized, & beautifully displayed . I don't collect denarii anymore but was awestruck by your collection of T.D. DIVI series denarii ! It would be a supreme challenge for anyone to equal that group of coins. I've been working on an 8 year old hp computer that has antiquated software & an Epson printer that no longer works , so this year I'll probably replace what I have & build a presentable presentation for my coins . When that happens I'll probably tap your brain for advice & ideas .

 

O.J., Your Decius Tet is a handsome coin, thanks for posting . I think it would be a serious mistake to attempt any more cleaning on that coin . Your coin has lost its silvering due to burial not wear, & presently has an attractive chocolate patina. The details are sharp & the coin is well centered . So don't clean it !

 

Just won a Decius tetradrachm myself, already posted it here
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/fa...genivs-exerc-illvriciani.393989/#post-8251222
Not the same caliber as the OP coin, but not bad at all, in my opinion.