Please Help To Identify These Coins

Welcome, Bettyboop!

Please clarify: you mention "coins" (plural). The first two images obviously show the same coin. Is the third image another coin, or the reverse of the first coin?

Both coin images should be rotated so that the portraits read more easily. And if you can get in closer with the images (crop the negative areas), that would really help.

Also, very important: if these are indeed two separate coins, we would need to see the reverses.

Fyi, the last image seems to show a bust of either Zeus or Serapis, perhaps wearing a modius.

Please repost in the Ancient, Greek, Roman, and Medieval thread for more specialized assistance.

Ah, the same coin. Well, if my guess that the reverse is Serapis wearing a modius is correct (and I'm not 100% sure about this), it could be a provincial like the Marcus Aurelius issues here:

http://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/civ...Default.aspx

http://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/ars...Default.aspx

http://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/shi...Default.aspx

But there are certainly other rulers/issues it could be too.

Again, I recommend reposting to the Ancients thread, and include the coin's size too. There are a lot of Roman experts there.

Bob

Btw, bottom image still needs to be rotated...see links for reference.

Looks like an alexandrian 'tetradrachm', probably a murky billon alloy (this is basically bronze with varying levels of silver - by this time, quite low). I agree with the description (emperor Antoninus Pius on one side, the god Serapis on the other).

Ben, most of the Alexandrian tets I have seen are quite chunky and thick all the way to the edges. This coin appears to have quite a bit of taper to the edge. Without measurements I'm flying blind on the module.

I'm out to sea on trying to ID the bust figure, which I think is on the obverse. I can see the Serapis resemblance, but not the tell-tale modius. But to tell the truth to me it also could be Lucius Verus, Commodus, or any of the figures you folks have already named. An older guy with curly hair and a beard.

If we could get a measurement of the diameter of the coin (and weight?) it might help us zero in. I do think it is Roman Provincial, but not Alexandrian.

Diameter is 25mm, Coin is rather thick edge, to edge. Not much of a taper. You guys are awesome.

Would this have any value?

I did mean to agree with you - Marcus Aurelius. Why my brain substituted in Antoninus, I dont know.

And it seems Samaria is the right way to go, and having looked at various examples, I would suggest this is closer to Commodus. Heres a Wildwinds page for the mint at Caesarea Maritima to compare the emperors.

To learn about this stuff, I recommend going onto wikipedia and reading up on the Antonine dynasty, Samaria, Caesarea Maritima (that has left us some interesting ruins), Serapis and roman paganism. Hopefully that will give you an idea of the circumstances around the coin. Any questions can be posted here and we'll try and answer as best we can.