Few Questions I Cant Seem To Find The Answers To

1. DEVSONIENSI refers to Deuso (a place?) where the cult of Hercules was at.
http://www.kenelks.co.uk/coins/gallic/gallic.htm scroll down to "The Coinage"

I'll post if I find any more anwsers.

Thanks! About the IMP C, I'd say it's always Caesar, because they would use the letter G if it was Gaius, but I think the confusion is that sometimes, whether from being worn down or a bad strike or style, that G can become a C. At least, that's my thought on the matter.

I have never seen a G used as an abbreviation for Gaius. It is always C. Imp is usually followed by Caesar or an abbreviation. The example given IMP C M AVR has to be Caesar since M is Marcus and you only get one praenomen from the list so no one was named Gaius Marcus. There are coins marked IMP C C where the first C is Caesar and the second is Gaius. If there is one C and only one name following, it must be Caesar since we expect to see a praenomen used with a nomen and cognomen as a set of three after the first century. In the early days they did leave out the nomen regularly but not as late as this period. Oddly the first century guys never put the nomen on the coins (C CAESAR, T VESPASIANVS but not Julius or Flavius). Fashions change.

"Which two Emperors is the reverse naming? Constantine and Licinius or Constantine and Maxentius?" Not Maxentius. London at that time was firmly in the control of Constantine and the vast majority of the coins issued that year were his. There were a very few rare coins in the name of Licinius and Maximinus bearing the reverse legend COMITI AAVVGG (that is a unique way of saying it). These are RIC 146b and 146c. Since there are three rulers sharing the coins but never GGG, I'd say you can't tell who the second G referred to but that it just meant plural rulers. You see the GGG business in the time of Carus and sons but not in the 4th century. It was out of fashion.

We need to remember that London was way out there and the rules that worked in Rome were not necessarily followed exactly. It is hard to pin down intent on this sort of thing but I doubt they gave as much thought to it as you already have. My answers are best guesses based on the catalogs and the fact that I never have seen a GGG after Carausius. In the time of Constantine there were up to 5 Caesars at a time but there reverses read CAESS and no more.



When there were three rulers but only one was an Augustus they seem to have taken a shortcut and used the GGG even though AVG ET CAESS might seem better to us. The mints were not consistant on this by any means and you see coins marked GG or even G when there were three rulers. I don't take this too seriously.

IMP C M AVR NVMERIANVS PF AVG - VIRTVS AVGG. - RIC V Part 2 470 - Minted 282-284.
I think the reverse 'AVGG' is referring to Numerian and Carinus, am I wrong and is it Numerian and Carus?

I think you are correct, according Karl Pink, who studied this dynasty very well, the coin is from the second Triplolis emission in june 284. Carus died in 283.

Also does the '.' have any significance?

This VIRTVS AVGG antoninianus was minted with and without the dot, probably there where two officinea active at that time.

regards
Ed

So I assume these dots were the prototype to the star / wreath or cresent / 'T' workshop system that was used in Tripolis?

For Carus and his sons the Tripolis mint only minted with or without the dot at the reverse. The star always for the sons as augustus but in the first emission ( as caesar and Carus) with and without star.

About the virtvs avgg(g), this is complicated. These reverse types
with avgg for Siscia, Antioch and Tripolis. avggg only for Antioch.
RIC always says "receiving.......from Jupiter", I think that's not correct. Both figures are always military dressed, so that excludes Jupiter? who is usualy naked.
In my opinion it is always Carus with one of his sons on the caes coins emitted for Carinus and Numerian. Later on when they became
Augustus the two brothers facing each other, for Tripolis this is for sure.
The final emission virtvs antoniniani for Carus (Antioch) was in febr. 283,so it is always Carus and one of his sons on the reverse.
The only Siscia virtvs avgg antoniniani for Carus are from the november 282 emission, at that time Carinus became caes, so I think the reverse shows Carus and his eldest son Carinus.(Numerian became caes in december 282)
Do you still folow?
Special are the Antioch virtvs avggg antoniniani(3 emporers) there are 4 different types Carus as augustus, Carinus as caes and augustus and Numerian as caes, according Karl Pink emitted in februari-march 283. So who is who on these reverse types? all toughs are welcome.
I still trying to figure it out, but as I mentioned before it's complicated.

Ed

Sorry it took me a while, been a bit busy.

I see now that the 'star / wreath or cresent / 'T'' marks were earlier at Tripolis, It seemed a popular system there under Probus but didnt carry on into the coins of Carus and Co. I've been able to correct this on the data with my Numerian 'VIRTVSAVGG.'




I agree with your hypothesis here. The 'traditional descriptions make little sense to me.




Yep - this makes sense.




I need to think about this a bit longer

Thank for your time and the answers