Antonius Pius? - Coin Community Forum

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Author	Replies: 3 / Views: 1,785
Bing Pillar of the Community United States 4253 Posts	Posted 07/30/2011 10:12 pm I recently acquired this Antonius Pius, but am thinking there is something wrong with it. It seems porous and underweight (my scales are still broken). Its a nice looking coin with no obvious cast imperfections. It is 18.5 mm and has tested positive for silver. I have reviewed the known fakes and have found no match. Both the images on obv and rev are raised significantly showing no signs of wear. I have attributed this coin as RIC 249 with the obverse: ANTONINVSAVGPIVSPPIMPII - Laureate head right; and the reverse: TRPOTXIXCOSIIII - Annona standing left, holding grain ears and resting hand on modius on galley prow Any thoughts about this coin? Report this Post to the Staff

Sap Moderator Australia 16830 Posts	Posted 07/31/2011 12:57 am Your coin looks and sounds right to me. The "porosity" around the edge is normal. By this time, the fineness of silver in the denarius was beginning to slip, and the new alloy was more brittle than pure silver - so it tended to go like this around the edges when the coin was struck, as the metal split and cracked rather than flowed. You do have to be careful with identifying coins bearing the name "Antoninus Pius". There are actually three emperors who were sometimes so named on their coins, though only one of them is commonly known to history by that name. The other two are better known as Caracalla and Elagabalus. In this case, you're safe, but if you ever find a coin of "Antoninus Pius" with a strange portrait, odd styling or a reverse you can't find in the catalogues, try those two other guys instead. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis Report this Post to the Staff
sel_69l Bedrock of the Community Australia 21788 Posts	Posted 07/31/2011 02:06 am It is a nice looking coin; I would be glad to own it myself, as presented from these pictures. My only advice to me in buying ancients is that I must personally see it myself, unless I am buying from a dealer whose reputation is beyond reproach, especially for big ticket items. My very first ancient was an Antoninus Pius denarius, modius and corn ears, in about the same condition as this one. I bought it for $4.50, in 1967. I agree with Sap. I have quite a few 'silver' ancients of varying silver purity. The edge has a lot to do with the paste range of the alloy, where some metals that make up the alloy are not melted and other metals have melted, depending on their melt temperatures. Ancient coins were often heated to their paste range to lessen the effort needed to strike the coin, and to bring up the image clearly. The result is what you see on the edge of this coin. Report this Post to the Staff
Bing Pillar of the Community United States 4253 Posts	Posted 07/31/2011 08:45 am Would the weight be lighter then? As I indicated, my scales are broken but this coin feels light. I would guess at less then 3 grams (I've got to get around to getting another scale). If the alloys of this coin are correct, wouldn't the Romans attempt to make the weight feel the same? As for the use of Antonius Pius by Caracalla and Geta, I discovered this after researching a coin for many hours. I have a Caracalla who uses the title in his obverse legend. Report this Post to the Staff
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