Bought 5 Roman Coins, I Think?

While they are not 'junk' I would call them beginner coins. The one which attracted you is an 'Antoninianus' of Gallienus - an often maligned Emperor of the mid 3rd century. The mints were operating 24/7 at this period to keep up with the wild inflation of the times. The next largest appears to be a Valens. This knucklehead charged where only fools tread and was responsible for the greatest military disaster the Empire ever endured. The debacle at Adrianople where the cream of the legions were hacked to shreds by a Gothic alliance. Valens is said to have rushed to battle lest the 'western' Emperor arrive and share the glory. Valens vanished without trace ...... not even a greasy spot by the time Gratian showed up. The Great Edward Gibbon says for intents and purpose "The Empire ended that day" (Aug 9 AD378) When order was finally restored by Theodosius the Great it is notable that the leading Generals of Rome are rarely 'Roman' from this time on they have almost exclusively 'Germanic' names as the legions were now mostly barbarian mercenaries. The lot you bought is not too bad overall ..... I would price it between $20-25 (I am a cheapskate !)

$14 including shipping is alright - you certainly got a nice mix. Gallienus is usually in shoddy condition - as FR says, they were producing these like they were goin out of fashion, so mistrikes and off center ones are common. YOurs hasnt been fully struck.

Bottom left is a fun one - Probably arcadius but either clipped or a small flan, because the legends are gone. The legend is also GLORIA ROMANORVM...bears strikin resemblence to an interesting type first minted by Vetranio (very rare and valuable type) which shows Victory crowning the emperor. Odd thing in late Rome...it was christian, victory is a pagan idol - you can also find coins showing manus dei (the hand of god) crowning the emperor. I like this type - I will own one some day.

Roman coins in this level of condition give you a great deal of satisfaction, when you finally and fully identify them for yourself. Be careful; if you are able to achieve this, you are liable to become an avid collector of Roman coins for the rest of your life!

At this level of condition, you can obtain some interesting Roman coins for not much money.
At $14, that is cheaper than a single Peace dollar in poor condition, AND much more interesting!

The 'Net has made it much easier identify Roman coins, with the advent of sites such as 'WILDWINDS' and 'VCOINS'.
An older second hand copy of
'Roman Coins and their Values' is a good book for beginners, to learn a great deal about Roman coins, and also to assist in the identification of them.

I gave away my older copy of
'Roman Coins and Their Values'
to another (and perhaps more verbally illustrious) member of the CCF, as an introduction to ancient coins.