A Roman emperor who ruled for only 88 days
lordmarcovan
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I likely just paid too much for this one. The Third Century is not my usual arena, but I do find short reigns interesting, and since Florian reportedly ruled for only 88 days in 276, there is that. Besides, I think it looks like a nice example.
Florian AD 276. Bronze Antoninianus (21 mm. 3.14 g.). Siscia. IMP C M AN FLORIANVS P AVG. Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right. Rev. FELICITAS AVG / XXIS. Felicitas standing left, holding caduceus and sacrificing from patera over altar. RIC V online 4406. Good very fine.
Post your coins of Florian, and tell me everything you think I should know about the one I just bought. Assume I’m a complete novice. (I’m not- quite- but close enough.) Thanks.
Collector since 1976. On the CU forums here since 2001.
Comments
According to some replies I've gotten over on Numisforums, maybe I did OK with the coin in the OP. I really stuck my neck out with that impulse bid. I ended up paying €472.24 (=$546.93 US), after all the fees, so I was experiencing some sticker shock. But it's definitely a nice example, so...
Collector since 1976. On the CU forums here since 2001.
It looks nice. I know diddly about Roman coins so that may not mean much. I would gladly add it to my collection.
It’s a really nice piece, I don’t have one yet.
I'm BACK!!! Used to be Billet7 on the old forum.
lordmarcovan, I think you did well. I cannot recall any coins of Emperor Florian in any previous auctions. AD 270's and 280's are replete with short lived emperors, most of which did not die of natural causes. A complete 3rd Century run of emperors and usurpers would be a formidable task.
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/gold/liberty-head-2-1-gold-major-sets/liberty-head-2-1-gold-basic-set-circulation-strikes-1840-1907-cac/alltimeset/268163
March of Time - 27 Centuries in Gold
https://coins.www.collectors-society.com/WCM/CoinCustomSetView.aspx?s=36590
Well centered and well struck. I like it a lot.
The winds have shifted a bit in the NumisForums discussion. It seems there’s been some tooling done, particularly on the obverse. Time will tell how egregious that is.
I hope this doesn’t turn out to be an expensive tuition payment.
Collector since 1976. On the CU forums here since 2001.
Very nice piece. I once wanted to collect a Denarius from each of the 12 Caesars, but I quickly learned it would be beyond my budget. You will know that one of the Caesars, Otho, reigned for only 90 days. No doubt you have him in your collection.
Thanks. Until recently, I had all Twelve Caesars, in bronze, silver, and gold, but sold the collection this May.
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/lordmarcovan-my-twelve-caesars-of-rome-collection-as-of-fall-2025.419183/
My sister made a video of me showing the collection to a friend. It was a live conversation made without notes, so I misspoke in several places and made a few minor errors in narration. It was fun anyway.
https://youtu.be/I8qAThFUcv0?is=CjzHYSSJM0rHNEqE
Collector since 1976. On the CU forums here since 2001.
Beautiful collection. It must have been difficult for you to sell it.
Ya, there seems to be a little tooling, I'd like to see it in hand.
I really liked your collection.
I'm BACK!!! Used to be Billet7 on the old forum.
Thank you. Yes, I do have some pangs about selling it, but there were bills to pay. At least I had the enjoyment of assembling it. I did keep the Vespasian “capricorns” denarius. And the collection sold to a friend I who I visit once or twice a year, so I can still look at the coins on those visits.
Collector since 1976. On the CU forums here since 2001.
Thanks.
Collector since 1976. On the CU forums here since 2001.
@lordmarcovan I actually started a collection partly because I've been following your set building over the years. Here are a few that I've acquired:
I also have Domitian, Hadrian, Antonius Pius and a few more later ones, I'm trying to get one per ruler from Julius through Constantine, in VF or better (not all will reach this level, but many of the later ones will be XF/AU, so I accept the trade-off.)
I'm BACK!!! Used to be Billet7 on the old forum.
Small reigns like that makes/keeps it interesting, cool piece
@SimonW - I like that Augustus, and the toning on your Vitellius is nice. I'm not familiar with that provincial issue of Caligula, but I would imagine it was more affordable than most of the Rome mint alternatives? Kind of an interesting design, too. And still a portrait coin. I vastly preferred portrait coins when doing a Twelve Caesars collection.
PS- did NGC note anything about the mint location of the Vitellius? The style is a bit quirky. I don't want to say barbaric, quite, but it looks ... different. Which is not a bad thing, really. Just kind of an interesting detail.
Collector since 1976. On the CU forums here since 2001.
BTW, I politely requested that the Austrian auctioneer of the Florian coin above cancel the sale and refund me, due to the undisclosed tooling which I did not notice initially (but which was revealed to me just in the nick of time by the folks on NumisForums). I got a courteous reply fast (within 25 minutes!), and it seems they're going to do the right thing and let me off the hook. I might have just dodged a bullet on that one. It is obviously a nice coin but tooling changed my deliberations considerably. I do not believe the auctioneer was deliberately concealing anything.
Collector since 1976. On the CU forums here since 2001.
@lordmarcovan
These are all provincial, which are always a little different, sometimes rough.
The Caligula is a small leaded bronze, quite charming for what it is in hand, comes from a province in Turkey. It was a pretty cheap coin that I found interesting. I don’t think I’ve seen another one. I also haven’t looked that hard.
The Vitellius is another one that’s quite different, as you said. It’s likely from Tarraco, a port town on the Iberian peninsula (Tarragona Spain, the earliest Roman settlement/fort on the Iberian peninsula.) I did a study abroad in Tarragona, so it’s a personal choice in many ways. It was NOT cheap 😂 (over $700.) it is 4/4 designation, even being a rough looking coin, for the issue, it’s one of the better ones.
The Augustus is a French provincial coin, fairly common. I enjoyed the toning, which is accompanied by some microscopic granularity. I like the look more than the stripped white silver coins I tend to see. This too was not an inexpensive coin, $600 or so.
I'm BACK!!! Used to be Billet7 on the old forum.
Aha! So that explains the quirky, semi-barbaric appearance of that Vitellius! (I did wonder if it was from a Spanish mint.) Neat. I do think provincials can be more interesting sometimes, especially for the wider variety of design types.
Collector since 1976. On the CU forums here since 2001.