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What have we here? Help ID...

mrtrek1701mrtrek1701 Posts: 100
in World & Ancient Coins Forum
Anyone know what this is? Is it a coin? Real or counterfeit? A token? A toy??? Any ID help would be greatly appreciated.


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Comments

  • ColinCMRColinCMR Posts: 1,482 ✭✭✭
    Roman


    maybe similar to this one:

    Valentinian
  • lordmarcovanlordmarcovan Posts: 43,795 ✭✭✭✭✭
    A Roman bronze (AE3, probably) of one of the emperors named Valentinian (there were three Valentinians, as I recall).

    And yes, it looks genuine. Probably not a terribly rare or expensive coin, but it is over 1,600 years old.

    Here are some from my old set. Note the similarities between my first one and your coin, including the same mintmark (TES= Thessalonica, in Greece).

    Valentinian I (364-375 AD)

    image

    Valentinian II (375-392 AD)

    image

    Valentinian III was a bit later, circa 420s to 450s AD, around the time Rome was getting sacked by barbarians.

    I suspect your coin is from one of the first two Valentinians.

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  • lordmarcovanlordmarcovan Posts: 43,795 ✭✭✭✭✭
    So in summary, you have a Roman bronze coin of Valentinian I or Valentinian II, struck at Thessalonica in Greece in the late 300s AD.

    My wild guess: it's probably worth between $5-10 or so, unless it's some scarce variety I'm unaware of. It's of a quality typically found in bulk lots and was scrubbed a bit harshly, but at least it has fully readable legends.

    Somebody else will likely be able to pin the variety down much more specifically.

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  • SapyxSapyx Posts: 2,357 ✭✭✭✭✭
    The reverse type of your coin is "GLORIA ROMANORVM", depicting the Emperor marching right, holding in one hand the legionary banner and with the other hand is dragging along a captive by the hair. This "emperor-dragging captive" type is only recorded for Valentinian I.

    And yes, it does appear to be real. These small "late Roman Bronzes" are quite common. At the time, the Empire was shrinking; many people that buried their wealth never came back to collect it.
    Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.
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  • mrtrek1701mrtrek1701 Posts: 100
    Thanks! It was given a gift to my younger brother, a budding numismatist, and we were both curious about its origins. Might not be worth much, but makes an interesting conversation piece, I suppose.


    My first thread since 2006..... good to be back!
  • DieClashDieClash Posts: 3,688 ✭✭✭
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