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 Replies: 8 / Views: 1,305 |
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
1610 Posts |
Hi all, I found this coin among a batch of foreign coins. It looks like an ancient greek coin but suspect it is fake. Never dabbled in ancient coins before so thought I'd post it and see what the experts say. Weight = 4.6g Diameter = ~14mm Non-magnetic. Thanks  |
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Moderator
 United States
34396 Posts |
@david, this looks like a Roman bronze coin to me, so I'm going to move your thread over to the ancients section of CCF. I'm sure that someone there can help you with a positive ID.
"If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2099 Posts |
It is Roman. I have a couple to show for comparison. One from the same workshop and one from a different workshop, mine is P (Prima) compared to the OP which is T (Tertio) Constantius II Obv:- D N CONSTANTIVS P F AVG, Pearl diademed, draped & cuirassed bust right; B behind bust Rev:- FEL TEMP REPARATIO, Helmeted soldier to left, shield on left arm, spearing falling horseman; shield on ground at right. Horseman wears a Phrygian cap and bearded and falls forward clutching his horse Minted in Rome (G | _ //R wreath P). 26th September 352 AD. - 6th November 355 AD. Reference:- RIC VIII Rome 256 (C) 18.87 mm. 3.46 gms, 0 degrees  and the Tertio....  Regards, Martin |
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Pillar of the Community
 Australia
1610 Posts |
Thanks Martin.   Is the greater weight and smaller diameter an indication that it's a fake or is there a fair bit of variation in roman coins? David |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2099 Posts |
There is quite a bit of variation. Perfectly normal.
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
1610 Posts |
Awesome. Thanks for the response Martin.
David
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
1610 Posts |
OK - Trying to wrap my head around roman coins starting with this one so am hoping a poor soul will be kind enough to answer some more questions. The ROT indicates the tertio (3RD? officiana) or mint workshop in Rome (R)? Also, what is the significance of the B on the obverse and the Γ on the reverse? I think I have located the page in Numista but there is no entry for Tertio. Am I on the right page and no-one has entered it or am I on the wrong page? Also, it says the Γ stands for the third officiana yet it also shows Γ for the 5-7 officianae. Somewhat confused at present. https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces143491.htmlMany thanks for your help. David  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1554 Posts |
The mint mark is actually R(wreath)T, Rome, 3rd officina. The field marks in this period are complicated and not fully understood. There are countless minor varieties. Your coin is of Constantius II, btw, rather than Gallus.
Western mints tend to designate officinae with Latin letters: P,S,T,Q,etc. Eastern mints often use the Greek: A,B,Γ,Δ,etc.
I would not rely on Numista for early coins. Many of the entries are deeply flawed (in my opinion).
Edited by Kushanshah
07/10/2021 06:42 am
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Pillar of the Community
Russian Federation
5172 Posts |
Quote:
I would not rely on Numista for early coins. Many of the entries are deeply flawed (in my opinion). To a large extent this is because there are, as you mentioned, countless minor varieties, and Numista isn't really built to deal with that sort of thing. (Not just Numista, though it in particular; IIRC in some series it's not uncommon for many varieties to not even be listed in the big-name official catalogs.) There's an ongoing project to enter all (or all in RIC/OCRE, anyway) Roman coin types into Numista; right now it is up to the reign of Carinus (283-285 AD). It would be interesting to see how it deals with the 4th century. |
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Replies: 8 / Views: 1,305 |
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Posted 05/28/2021 06:43 am
