Saturday, December 20, 2003
Silvered Æ antoninianus, Gallienus, Antioch, Göbl 1666m
GALLIENVS AVG, Radiate draped cuirassed bust right, Δ beneath / VIRTVS AVG, Mars standing facing, head right, holding spear left, leaning on shield right. PXV in exergue.
A small number of Antioch coins, presumably the last minted for Gallienus at this mint, feature a Greek letter beneath the bust. The obvious explanation is that these are alphabetic Greek numerals designating the officina responsible for the coin, so this would be the fourth officina (in all, eight officinae are designated on these coins.)
They are known only for the PXV reverses (which is a very abbreviated form of Gallienus's being tribune for the 15th time, dating the coin during the year beginning September 266, immediately following the VIIC· coins, which are not known with the lettered obverses) and for those same designs without the PXV. Göbl attests one example of this VIRTVS AVG without PXV, with Δ under the bust. He does not attest this coin, with PXV.
Friday, December 19, 2003
Æ25, Cius in Bithynia, Gallienus, SNG von Aulock 517
ΠΟΥ ΛΙΕΓ ΓΑΛΛΙΗΝΟC CΕΒ, Radiate draped cuirassed bust right / ΚΙΑ_ΝΩΝ, Herakles standing facing, head right, resting lion-skin draped club on rock at feet, right.
The letters in the legends have some interesting little ornaments, which is about the only thing that saves this from being an entirely typical 3rd C. provincial. Herakles leaning on his club is almost a cliché. Another near-cliché Sunday.
(a site about Cius)
Thursday, December 18, 2003
Silvered Æ antoninianus, Gallienus, Rome, Göbl 547m
GALLIENVS AVG, Radiate cuirassed bust right, seen from slightly behind / FELICIT PVBL, Felicitas seated left, holding overflowing cornucopia right and cauduceus left. T in exergue.
Badly flat-struck on the reverse (a better look at this reverse here,) but an interesting, uncommon obverse, showing the cuirass from behind.
Wednesday, December 17, 2003
A remarkable countermark on an Achaemenid Siglos
Tuesday, December 16, 2003
Æ23, Apamea in Bithynia, Gallienus, BMC Greek ?/42var
IMP CAE LI GALLIENOS P F AVG, Radiate draped bust right / CO[L] I[VL] CO_N [C] AVG [A]PA[M], Dionysus standing facing, head left, holding kantharos left and thyrsos right, a panther at his feet left.
Some information on Apamea here: it's another ancient site behind a Turkish dam.
Monday, December 15, 2003
Æ As, Rome, Mariniana, Göbl MIR 36, 213f
DIVAE MARINIANAE, Veiled diademed draped bust right / CONSECRATIO, Peacock standing facing, tail erect, head right, S_C across fields.
The Æs of this family are generally found in very worn condition so it seems that they were useful small change. They ceased to be minted not long after the sole reign of Gallienus began in 259-260 CE. Presumably the cost of minting them, particularly compared to antonianus, made it undesirable to continue.
Sunday, December 14, 2003
Bad day for people who backed the wrong horse
Æ dupondius (19mm), Cherson-Eleutheria, time of Gallienus, Anokhin Cherson 307
Cherson-Eleutheria, Anokhin Cherson 307
ΕΛΕΥ_ΘΕ[ΡΑC], Laureate bust of Chersonas right, lyre in right field / ΧΕΡCΟΝ_Η_C_ΟΥ, Deva (Virgin) right, doe at her feet.
I don't have the Anokhin book (nor do I read Russian, which it's in) so I don't know the reasoning behind designating this little coin, smaller than a contemporary Roman as, as a dupondius (a double as).
