The Curious Case Of Two Very 'Odd' Tetrarchy Folles .

Don't everyone chime in at the same time !

I have no doubt that they are unofficial. Ticinum does have some laureate and cuirassed busts, but they are scarce and much nicer in style. Just because a coin is unofficial doesn't mean that it has to be poorly engraved though. Some of those engravers may have even been actual mint employees involved in moonlighting. At some point, an unofficial coin might not even be able to be detected. I have had several coins that are suspect and it is always best to err on the side of caution. Your first coin has a nice obverse but the reverse is off...maybe two different engravers. The larger coin looks better but the flan isn't right.

Here is your first coin with an official Ticinum coin and you can see how the busts look different. The reverse also looks a bit less refined than Ticinum usually does...Genio is lacking grace and reminds me of Elaine from Seinfeld-- "I don't have grace, I don't want grace, I don't even say grace!"







I have a few unofficial folles that might pass casual inspection, except the last below; which has a decent obverse but the reverse is a mess...maybe two different engravers.













this coin has a nice obverse; but the reverse is a mess

All 4 of these coins were found by 'detectorist' in Normandy
The 'Ticinum' pretenders almost certainly came out of London