Roman coins - please confirm if I am right with these

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by PaddyB, Jan 7, 2021.

  1. PaddyB

    PaddyB Eccentric enthusiast

    Picked up another bunch of Roman coins from a retiring collector. I have identified most to my satisfaction, but would appreciate confirmation on three:
    This one I believe is Marius, S11120, and so quite rare. Am I right?
    Marius 1-horz.jpg

    This one I believe is Nerva S3064:
    Nerva 1-horz.jpg

    and this one purports to be Augustus S1681, but I suspect is a copy:
    Augustus 1-horz.jpg

    Thank you for any assistance. S numbers from the Sear catalogues produced by Spink.
     
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  3. John Conduitt

    John Conduitt Well-Known Member

    Yes I believe that is Marius, as it looks just like mine:

    Marius Antoninianus, 269
    upload_2021-1-7_19-19-30.png
    Mint I, Cologne. IMP C MARIVS P F AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right. SAEC FELICITAS, Felicitas standing left, holding Caduceus and Cornucopiae. Ex Pamphill Hoard (S 11120)
     

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  4. cmezner

    cmezner do ut des Supporter

    @PaddyB
    Why do you suspect the Augustus As is a copy?
    If the weight is right it is RIC 382, BN 448, Sear 1681. If the weight is low it could be an ancient imitation
     
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  5. PaddyB

    PaddyB Eccentric enthusiast

    Thank you @cmezner - I feared it might be a copy because the verdigris looked very fresh (as in a coin that had been artificially aged) and the design of the bust looked a bit naïve. The Sear book is a bit weak on expected weights - this one weighs 11.15g - how does that compare?
     
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  6. hotwheelsearl

    hotwheelsearl Well-Known Member

    I see somewhat non-standard lettering on the obverse, for a potential contemporary imitation
     
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  7. cmezner

    cmezner do ut des Supporter

    The weight of your coin is right for a moneyer issue.

    In Gallia and in the Danube area Roman coins, including Dupondi and As, were imitated in times of scarce loose cash (Ref.: HAUM-Katalog-15-Roemische-Muenzen.pdf at https://doi.org/10.24355/dbbs.084-201810160940-0
    CNG sold one of these issues, weight 7.62 g, noting it is a later imitation (1st and 2nd century). (https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=122247)

    Those ancient imitations are usually underweight, but yours is not, and the head of Augustus on your coin is of a remarkable beautiful style.
     
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  8. cmezner

    cmezner do ut des Supporter

    could you please elaborate? can't see what you mean by "non-standard"
     
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  9. PaddyB

    PaddyB Eccentric enthusiast

    That is great - thank you @cmezner - I will mark it up as genuine. I am buying it, along with the others listed in this thread and about 20 others, from a retiring collector. He had acquired these, and many others I have already bought from him and posted here, over the last 50 years. He has very little knowledge of ancient coins and most were unidentified or mis-identified, so it has been a challenge to work out what they are and so offer him a fair price. He has bought them from lots of different sources - some dealers, some junk stores - simply on the basis of "it looks old and interesting"!
    There have been about 50 Roman, 20 Sasanian, 20 Byzantine, a few Parthian and a couple of Celtic coins so far. I think we are nearly at the end of the selection now!
     
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  10. cmezner

    cmezner do ut des Supporter

    @PaddyB That is a wonderful start for 2021, and very interesting and fun to attribute your new "old and interesting" coins, enjoy:happy:
     
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  11. hotwheelsearl

    hotwheelsearl Well-Known Member

    im probably wrong but the letters in EST look a little too skinny and smooth
     
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  12. cmezner

    cmezner do ut des Supporter

    The moneyer issues have very different style of letterings, e.g.
    This Plotius Rufus is not an ancient imitation (10.068 g):
    upload_2021-1-8_16-37-12.png upload_2021-1-8_16-37-21.png
    while this Plotius Rufus is (7.534 g):

    upload_2021-1-8_16-38-58.png upload_2021-1-8_16-39-11.png

    I think that on the last one the letters are definitely not skinny, however, it is an imitation.

    Looking at several of these moneyer issues there are very different letterings; I don't think that those follow a standard. I would rather consider weights.
     
  13. +VGO.DVCKS

    +VGO.DVCKS Well-Known Member

    In reference to @cmezner's point, I once had an as of Augustus from Taraco. You're cordially referred to @Ocatarinetabellatchitchix's very recent thread on that mint, in southeastern Iberia.
    Back to my example, the style was decidedly crude, including both the portrait and the lettering. But my understanding is that, as a relatively recent recent mint, it was decidedly official.
     
    Last edited: Jan 8, 2021
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