Can You Help With My Education On This "m" ?

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

Author	Replies: 5 / Views: 1,017
gtkwml Valued Member United States 224 Posts	Posted 05/14/2018 1:08 pm There is an "M" in the field on the reverse of this Constantius II coin. Since it is not the mint mark, what does it represent? Report this Post to the Staff

Finn235 Pillar of the Community United States 6130 Posts	Posted 05/14/2018 1:21 pm The exact purpose is lost to history, but they were used as control marks. Roman bronzes of this period were intended to have a very small (like 2-5%) silver content by design. Some documents survive that mention mint workers being put to death for refining out some of the silver for their own pockets. The combination of mint mark, officina number, and control marks could have probably been used to find the individual or team responsible for this production run, in case any problems were found. That is the same reason you had moneyers sign the coins in the Republic, then again in the middle ages; why dates were originally put on coins, and why mint and privy marks are used today. Report this Post to the Staff
fioti Pillar of the Community United States 4212 Posts	Posted 05/14/2018 1:28 pm Great explanation, Finn. Edited by fioti 05/14/2018 1:29 pm Report this Post to the Staff
gtkwml Valued Member United States 224 Posts	Posted 05/14/2018 1:29 pm Many thanks for the info! GK Report this Post to the Staff
Kushanshah Pillar of the Community United States 1554 Posts	Posted 05/14/2018 10:43 pm The letter 'M' on this issue is believed to be a mark of value, though as Finn235 notes, the exact meaning is lost. On the issue of 354/5, this M occurs at nearly all mints, usually in the reverse field but sometimes worked into the exergual mark. RIC (VIII, p. 65) suggests "1000" (to the gold solidus). Others suggest 'maiorina', equating the token value of the new silverless AE3 issue with the intrinsic silver value of the previous AE2 issue. Edited by Kushanshah 05/14/2018 11:20 pm Report this Post to the Staff
gtkwml Valued Member United States 224 Posts	Posted 05/15/2018 09:32 am Thank you, Kushanshah. Always amazed by the info this newbie picks up here! Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 5 / Views: 1,017

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

All Forums Category: World Coins and Currency Forums Forum: Ancient, Greek, Roman, and Medieval Coins

The First Dollar, your premier source for bullion and rare coins. See our bullion list on the site and the coin inventory on ebay.

Silver Gold Bull US is the United States leading bullion dealer. We deliver gold coins, gold bars, silver coins, silver bars and precious metals to your door. Order today!

View Last 100 Active Topics

Disclaimer: While a tremendous amount of effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in this site, Coin Community assumes no liability for errors. Copyright 2005 - 2026 Coin Community Family- all rights reserved worldwide. Use of any images or content on this website without prior written permission of Coin Community or the original lender is strictly prohibited.
Contact Us | Advertise Here | Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

Coin Community Forum

It took 0.24 seconds to rattle this change.

Can You Help With My Education On This "M" ?