Posted on 02/24/2004 5:12:49 PM PST by blam
Obverse: IMP C DOMITIANUS P F AUG
which means Emperor Caesar Domitianus Dutiful and Fortunate Augustus.
Reverse: CONCORDIA MILITV[M]
reverse is the type of the one previously known, RIC V.2, p. 590, pl. XX.12, though again the dies seem to be different.
© Reuters
Treasure hunters have unearthed a coin bearing the head of a virtually unknown Roman ruler who briefly held power in Gaul around 270 AD as the empire teetered.
It is only the second coin ever found showing the head of Domitianus who seized power - and the mint - in the breakaway Gallic Empire which included modern England, France and parts of Germany and lasted for 15 turbulent years.
"We know next to nothing about Domitianus, except that he was 'punished' by the Roman Emperor Aurelian for treason," Richard Abdy, curator of Roman coins at the British Museum, told Reuters. "But at least now we know what he looked like."
The first coin bearing Domitianus' head was found in the Loire area of France in 1900, dismissed as a fake because his name was unknown and then lost from sight in a small museum in Nantes until very recently.
"It is now being studied by numismatists. When I showed our coin to the woman who has been working on it she jumped for joy because it bore out everything she had said about hers," Abdy said, noting the French coin had been dated to 271 AD.
The Gallic Empire was established in 260, when rule from Rome was weakening, by Postumus who was succeeded nine years later by Marius who held the throne for a matter of weeks before being strangled and in turn replaced by Victorinus who ruled to 271 when he was too murdered.
Domitianus is believed to have murdered Victorinus, who had a habit of raping the wives of his subordinates, before himself being ousted by Tetricus who ruled from 271 to 274 when he was defeated by Aurelian and the empire was restored.
The British coin, which goes on show at the British Museum from Wednesday, was found on farmland near Oxford just under a year ago as part of a hoard of some 5,000 Roman coins fused together in an earthenware pot.
"It is a type of coin we know as a 'radiant' because there are rays radiating from his head. It is a two denarii piece which at that time, when they were coining money as fast as they could, would have been worth a couple of hours' work," Abdy said.
The base metal coin which originally had a surface coating of silver, is now conservatively estimated to be worth a five figure sum, Abdy said.
At the time it was minted, the once mighty Roman Empire was undergoing a period of intense flux.
The years between 270 AD and 285 AD were marked by chaos in the empire with over 20 different emperors and 30 different pretenders fighting for power. Only one of these leaders died a natural death.
I am sure some, such as this one are valuable of course. BTW he is a fairly handsome guy.
Early Roman Republican coins were large bronze coins which were cast. However, in the later Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, the coins were struck by hand.
The coins of the period of this particular hoard are called "Antoninianii" by numismatists and represent a very debased coinage. As inflation progressed from the late Roman Republic to the later Empire, Roman coins went from high grade silver to debased silver to the final indignity of small broze coins with a silver wash, the "Antoninianus".
For a modern day Antoninianus, reach into you pocket and pull out a U.S. Quarter. :-)
u-89 , I'm a collector too. If you ever want to compare notes, Freepmail me.
There are a lot of late Roman coins available at reasonable prices $40- $150 in really nice shape. Rougher condition can be had starting at a few dollars.
Price is determined by market forces - supply and demand. Late empire coins are common and though quite collectible not as desirable as coins from the first and second centuries. Of course metal also factors, gold for example. You won't be buying any gold coins for 50 bucks. There are many coins in the high hundreds and into thousands of dollar range. It all depends on what it is and how many people care. But whatever your budget there is some cool stuff waiting to be had.
I used to be a dealer in other fields. I had a gag business card made up for friends - Venal Historica: for the right price you too can own a piece of history.
More dies = more coins?
Some are. Some aren't.
See my post 84.
Late 3rd Century coins are very cheap. Earlier 3rd Century coins are a little more expensive, and much nicer looking, but still very cheap.
This particular one is priceless simply because of its historical rarity.
Go to eBay and type in "Antoninianus" into Search.
This Gordian III Antoninianus is nice.......And still cheap.
Thanks for the info.
I read several English newspapers today on the story. In one authorities asked collectors to check their stuff in case they have something misidentified or unidentified which could be more of these here.
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