Weird Monogram Ae - 5th Century Roman?

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Author	Replies: 7 / Views: 2,590
january1may Pillar of the Community Russian Federation 5174 Posts	Posted 04/29/2017 10:07 am i bought this coin from a bargain bin for $2 as a 5th century monogram nummus, expecting to identify it more precisely at home. (The seller had entirely no idea, attributing the coin to the 3rd century.) However, I can't figure out which particular monogram this is, if any (nothing I can find online fits at all). For what it's worth, the diameter is 13 mm, which is, IIRC, actually a bit high for a real 5th century monogram nummus (but still well within AE4 territory, and I have no idea what else it could be). Reverse. Note the weird monogram. (Sorry for the awful pic, still smartphone camera.) Obverse. Not much visible, sorry. (In hand what's left of the bust does look about right for 5th century.) My best guess at the monogram (I might have missed some parts, but all the lines on this picture are definitely there, except perhaps the top bar). ...Any ideas? My best guess is Marcian, but that doesn't have any E in it. Only ones online that are remotely close are Ravenna and Libius Severus/Ricimer (though one of the "Vandals for Marcian" monograms is also very close). Report this Post to the Staff

echizento Moderator United States 23731 Posts	Posted 04/29/2017 12:44 pm From what I can see I think your correct. Report this Post to the Staff
Finn235 Pillar of the Community United States 6130 Posts	Posted 04/29/2017 8:12 pm Shot in the dark, but maybe one of the Vandal or Visigothic kings? Report this Post to the Staff
january1may Pillar of the Community Russian Federation 5174 Posts	Posted 08/05/2017 11:26 pm On June 13, 2017, I took a few photos of this coin with my newly mastered (as I felt at the time) flash-based smartphone photography technique. I immediately emailed those photos to myself, so that I could post them on CCF. The email didn't seem to go through (as did several other similar emails sent around the same time), and I just kind of forgot about the whole thing. On August 6, 2017, a weird email dropped into my inbox. The subject was "monogram nummus", and the email itself had three image attachments that didn't seem to show anything. When, after some wrestling with a very slow browser, I finally was able to view the pics, I found out that they were, in fact, photos of the coin - it's just that the coin was so close to the edge of all the photos that the thumbnail cropping left it entirely outside (and resulted in blank-looking thumbnails). Hopefully this bump, complete with (probably) better photos, will help you figure out just what the ch*rp this coin is And yes, I still have no idea (though, as somewhat hinted at in the OP, it could be a barbarous attempt on Marcian). Report this Post to the Staff
Kamnaskires Pillar of the Community United States 7066 Posts	Posted 08/05/2017 11:49 pm Ostrogothic? https://cNGCoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=193336 https://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/ge...Default.aspx http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/byz/...a_BMC_24.jpg Edited by Kamnaskires 08/05/2017 11:56 pm Report this Post to the Staff
january1may Pillar of the Community Russian Federation 5174 Posts	Posted 08/05/2017 11:58 pm Quote: Ostrogothic? See: https://cNGCoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=193336 Could be, I guess. (Would be really cool if it was.) There's still a few extra lines on the monogram... almost as if someone was trying to copy the type and wasn't really sure what it was supposed to be. Does this type have any known barbaric imitations? The bust (or whatever is left of it) and the size (way too large for a 5th century monogram) do seem to fit this theory much better, however. EDIT: the Baduila monogram at VCoins is a lot closer, but that type is the normal 5th century monogram size (~9-10 mm). My coin is much larger (~13-14 mm), and in particular, much heavier (best I can tell, about 2.2-2.3 grams). Edited by january1may 08/06/2017 12:12 am Report this Post to the Staff
VisigothKing Pillar of the Community United States 4778 Posts	Posted 08/07/2017 01:00 am Justinian from Cherson: http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/byz/...I/sb0197.jpg Report this Post to the Staff
january1may Pillar of the Community Russian Federation 5174 Posts	Posted 08/07/2017 08:07 am Quote: Justinian from Cherson That seems to be it, yes! Cherson monogram on Esty: My monogram drawing for comparison: As much as I wanted it to be Ostrogothic, it's good that it could at least be attributed. Cherson makes more sense anyway, considering my country. (This is my second Byzantine coin from Cherson, by the way; the first was a 9th century cast AE, Esty E7.) Report this Post to the Staff
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