assistance identifying an ancient
LanceNewmanOCC
Posts: 19,999 ✭✭✭✭✭
it is larger than a usa quarter but smaller than a half.
i don't mind looking but don't even know how or where to start with ancients.
t.i.a.
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Comments
The portrait looks Roman (possibly LUCIUS VERUS, DIED AD 169) and the lettering looks Greek.
My guess would be a Roman sestertius posthumously honoring the deified emperor Marcus Aurelius (r. 161 - 180 AD, jointly with Lucius Verus until the latter's death in 169). The upside-down picture of the reverse looks like the late emperor being borne into the heavens on Jupiter's eagle, and I think I can just make out the DIVVS title on the obverse, indicating it's a posthumous issue. Pretty cool for a random ancient!
@291fifth @TitusFlavius - wonderful help you two. gives me some scraps to start aiming at. thanks a lot.
did you see the thread on the us coin forum. check out those ancients. wow - the image is clickable.
is that not an ides of march? a monster of a coin.
It is indeed (and a pedigreed one, at that), and the Kimon dekadrachm they have is a very solid example as well. They're showing the breadth of their collection in that image: the Tiberius sestertius, while nice, is a much more attainable coin - good to see it in the same tray as the Brasher - all coins are welcomed!
My guess that it is Lucius Verus is based on the way strands of his beard hang down below his chin. I don't believe Marcus Aurelius or Antoninus Pius wore their beards in that manner (at least not on their coinage).
i don't have much knowledge of this stuff to work with but did some basic searching of a couple hundred images based on your guys posts and only thing so far i've come up with is the reverse design is tough to match up, especially from this condition and that the word in front of the bust on the obverse really seems to be antoniusxxxxxx something.
does the lucius verus have some word on known coins that would be close to that?
this reminds me of some fr1-pr2 raw colonials i was trying to match up recently. good thing the house i'm in is brick because it is easier to just to outside sometimes and beat my head against it rather than to figure out some of these low grade/condition coins. fun but sheesh.