what does S C mean on a Roman coin?

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by ALAN DAVIS, Feb 27, 2018.

  1. ALAN DAVIS

    ALAN DAVIS Old Sopemaker

    New to ancients and been to embarrassed to ask such a stupid question. What does S C mean on a lot of Roman coins, why on some and not on others?
    Thank you for your patience....old sopemaker
     
    Theodosius, manny9655 and +VGO.DVCKS like this.
  2. Avatar

    Guest User Guest



    to hide this ad.
  3. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    Senatus Consulto, meaning its value had been decreed by the Senate. Almost exclusively used on bronze coinage.
     
  4. ALAN DAVIS

    ALAN DAVIS Old Sopemaker

    THANK YOU, HAVE A BLESSED DAY! ROMAN COLLECTOR
     
  5. ancient coin hunter

    ancient coin hunter 3rd Century Usurper

    Also, SC appears on the reverse of some Provincial bronzes with a separate meaning. Specifically Antioch, Seleucus and Pieria, referring to the name of the issuing city.
     
    finny, +VGO.DVCKS and Justin Lee like this.
  6. John Anthony

    John Anthony Ultracrepidarian

    Not the city, the province - Syria Coele.
     
  7. Justin Lee

    Justin Lee I learn by doing

    Like the big SC on this reverse?
    20180225_000545.jpg 20180225_000509.jpg
     
    Theodosius, Ryro, dlhill132 and 12 others like this.
  8. ancient coin hunter

    ancient coin hunter 3rd Century Usurper

    Whoops! @John Anthony has corrected me...sorry for the misinformation folks.
     
    finny and +VGO.DVCKS like this.
  9. ValiantKnight

    ValiantKnight Well-Known Member

    It wasn't just Roman coins that had Senatus Consulto on them:

    Athalaric, Ostrogothic Kingdom
    AE decanummium
    Obv: INVICT-A ROMA, Roma helmeted, facing right
    Rev: D N ATHAL-ARICVS, Athalaric, in military outfit, standing, holding spear and shield, S-C across fields, X in left field
    Mint: Rome
    Date: 526-534 AD
    Ref: BMC 69, COI 85b

    [​IMG]

    And also this Ostrogothic follis (not mine!) of King Theodahad (534-536 AD).

    Follis_of_Theodahad.jpg
     
  10. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    And, of course, it can be a big design element on Roman imperial issues!

    Agrippina Sr Sestertius.jpg
     
  11. gsimonel

    gsimonel Well-Known Member

    Exactly.
     
  12. donald roll

    donald roll New Member

     
  13. AmberB

    AmberB New Member

    Hi,
    This is my first time on here. I was rummaging through my Dads boxes and ran across a Tupperware container full of coins. They are all in pretty bad shape. Most, unable to make any design or lettering out....heavily corroded. This one, I was able to make out “SC” on the back and plugged that into google and thus I ended up on your site. What is this coin? Is it worth anything? And what should I do with the heavily corroded ones?
    Thank you,
    Amber
     
    +VGO.DVCKS and Roman Collector like this.
  14. gsimonel

    gsimonel Well-Known Member

    Hi Amber. Your coin could be an ancient Roman coin of the 1st century B.C. to 1st century A.D. era, or it could date from 1st -3rd century A.D. Antioch. If you could post a photo we might be able to give you more help.

    If possible, it is better to post separate photos of each coin rather than a group of coins together.
     
    +VGO.DVCKS and Roman Collector like this.
  15. +VGO.DVCKS

    +VGO.DVCKS Well-Known Member

    Wow, @John Anthony, I never knew that. Used to wonder if the Senate actually had more direct control over certain provinces ...or What?
     
  16. AmberB

    AmberB New Member


    Ok, Here is a picture of the front and the back. It was hard to get a halfway decent picture. Let me know what you think…
    Thank you,
    Amber
    2129F4F0-9081-49B8-B276-246053773923.jpeg C37BFA1F-1CEC-4D5F-BDB5-7EFF54C46F60.jpeg
     
    dlhill132, Edessa, +VGO.DVCKS and 2 others like this.
  17. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    That is a rather unusual issue made for circulation in Antioch by the Rome mint under Trajan. The metal was yellow brass 'orichalcum' and they come in as and semis sizes. In the condition shown, your is not of any value. Usually they are considered 'Imperials' with Latin legends and I would suspect that this situation would be a Senatus Consulto use but I certainly could be wrong on that. They vary quite a bit in weight.
    https://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=39400
    as 7g (light but still an as).
    rc1760bb0216.jpg
    semis 4.3g.
    rc1770bb1055.jpg
     
    Ryro, dlhill132, Sulla80 and 10 others like this.
  18. manny9655

    manny9655 Well-Known Member

    The words can apply to any decree by the Senate, not just coins.
     
    Scipio and +VGO.DVCKS like this.
  19. cmezner

    cmezner do ut des Supporter

    I have read about SC that some authors (Kraft) are of the opinion that S C on Roman Imperial Aes does not invariably mean struck by decree of the Senate, but more precisely “Honor in the form of the Corona Civica bestowed on the Emperor by decree of the Senate".
     

    Attached Files:

    Alegandron and +VGO.DVCKS like this.
  20. +VGO.DVCKS

    +VGO.DVCKS Well-Known Member

    @cmezner and @manny9655, --independently of whether either of you needed this-- this is sounding reducible to a matter of semantic, more than historical context.
     
  21. cmezner

    cmezner do ut des Supporter

    In my opinion, it isn't a matter of semantics; it seems to refer to those issues were SC is surrounded by the Corona Civica, like the OP, where it is not about a value decreed by the Senate, but to an honor :confused:
     
    +VGO.DVCKS and Alegandron like this.
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page