Roman coin

[Templar09]

Found this very heavy coin on my favorite hunting area. Diameter of coin is 29mm, cut 4mm. Finally a coin in good shape. All roman coins i dug up from ground were in poorly condition, this one seems very strong. Also notice different patina color. I cant id it on the net via virtual Roman catalog. I need some help here guys.

Best Regards

 

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[Gunner]

Looks like a Sestertius of Marcus Aurelius. Can you get a picture of the reverse?

Thanks,

Gunner

 

[Gunner]

I think this could be your coin:

http://www.coinarchives.com/a/lotviewer.php?LotID=123781&AucID=143&Lot=873

Marcus Aurelius (As Augustus) 161-180

AE Sestertius(24,21 g?), Rome 170/1.
Obverse: IMP M ANTONINVS AVG TRP XXV
Reverse: VOTA SVSCEP DECENN II/COS III/S-C
Attribution: RIC:1071, C:1037. s.sch./f.s.sch.

Will be able to give a better attribution with the reverse picture.

Gunner

 

[Templar09]

Thank you Gunner. I didnt clean it, back is still dirty, so i didnt take a pic from back, but i can clearly see a letter S. Match! Seems to be worth some $$$
Shoud i take it to professionals for cleaning?

 

[Gunner]

Try a few days soak in Distilled water and then use a toothbrush with regular dish soap to scrub it. See what that does. Looks like that dirt might come off easily for you. Post pics again in a few days after you've done that then I'll guide you further .

Gunner

 

[Templar09]

Cleaning with toothbrush is finished.

 

[Gunner]

Nice Job!! Especially on the obverse! Looks like we have a match. Based on what I can see from the reverse, I think I've attributed your coin properly. That's the first time I've attributed a coin with only an obverse picture!!! WOO HOO!! =) Now...that dirt still looks like it will come off with alot of patience. I would go with a dental pick (CAREFULLY) and a magnifying device and gradually "flake" away the remaining dirt being very careful not to remove the patina. This may take quite some time to do though. Not sure how much time you have but from the looks of the coin and the type of encrustation, it is a very promising piece. See how easily you can remove the dirt deposits with a toothpick first..then try the dental pick. Post results here if you can. Try it one small section at a time and see what you come up with. Nice coin!

Gunner

 

[Templar09]

I will try my best. Not sure i have such time and patience for cleaning also dont have dental pick and magnifying device. When i hunt with my MD i can dig hours and hours, sometimes im so tired but just wont give up. I love this hobby but cleaning seems not to be my strong side

Thanx again Gunner.

Regards

 

[Gunner]

Want me to clean it for you?

 

[Oroblanco]

Greetings Templar09,
Not to ruff any feathers here but your coin resembles coins of Septimius Severus to me, not necessarily Marcus Aurelius - while the coin portraits are helpful in making an attribution the inscription is also important. Check out the images and inscriptions for ancient Roman coins on http://www.wildwinds.com which has many photos. Here is one example of a Septimius Severus (the Punic emperor of Rome) that looks like a near match:

I would also caution you NOT to get too aggressive in cleaning the coin - you already have removed enough of the crud to see most (if not all) of the inscription and image of the emperor - if you continue to remove crud that is more strongly attached it is very likely it will begin to remove the "patina" which is the tone or coloring of the coin. That would detract from the value of the coin to a large degree in some cases! If I had your coin, I would stop NOW so as not to risk damaging the nice patina it has and lower the value.

A neat find I MUST say! If you are interested in Roman coins, I would suggest that you join one of the Roman coin discussion groups online - one that is not solely on Roman coins but is at least 90% is the Yahoo group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Moneta-L/
the membership of this group includes many experts, including some of the best in the world and they are happy to help in identifying unknown coins (if a fellow doesn't ask them to ID zillions of them at once ) they can give you a more educated attribution than we can here, as there are few members of T-net who are into Roman coins. (I make NO claim to being an expert in Roman coins, though I have collected ancient coins for many years now I collect only Punic, Phoenician and Greek coins not Roman.)

Thank you for your time and for posting your COOL find! I hope you have a great day!
your friend,
Roy ~ Oroblanco

"We must find a way, or we will make one." --Hannibal Barca

 

[Gunner]

The coin is 100% Marcus Aurelius. I'd wager $5000.00 US on it .

Gunner

 

[incitatus]

Hello all,

Templar09, just to help clear up any possible confusion - I can clearly read the legend 'M ANTONINVS AVG TR ....'

This clearly identifies a Antonine Emperor, and not a Severan emperor. It certainly isn't Septimius Severus. There is no doubt in my mind that the coin in question is a sestertius of Marcus Aurelius.

With regards to the earlier comment on judging by portraiture, I need to stress that identifying ancients by portrait style is not a good idea and will lead to many conflicting, and wrong, identifications. Legends are the primary source of attribution, and should be considered first and foremost when identifying an ancient roman coin.

Take, for example, certain periods in Rome. In 69 AD, Rome went through 4 Emperors in one year. In that year, we see many examples of coins of emperors, such as Vitellius, where the legend clearly identifies emperor Vespasian. This occurred, in this instance, when the old portrait of Vitellius was used, with only the legends altered, until an accurate depiction of Vespasian came along. The same thing occurred when Vitellius seized power - there are many examples where his portrait, on the coinage struck immediately after his accession, where his name is used, but the portrait is clearly his predecessor, Otho.

Furthermore, in other eras, like the Tetrarchy, or the Constantinian dynasty, the emperor's busts are virtually interchangeable with one another, and if one was to obliterate the legends, it would be a difficult task indeed to identify the emperor by bust type alone. I would be more than happy to provide images and references and to discuss any of this information in depth with anyone interested.

For reference purposes alone, I would suggest the coin would retail for in or around $40-50 US. More if the reverse cleans up further, which looks possible, given the remaining encrustations.

Cheers!

Steve McBride, professional ancient coin dealer, VCoins.

 

[dugupfinds]

I would repeat what - incitatus stated - far better to identify them on legends. When only some writting is visable you can consider - metal type, size, & reverse types to narrow it down.

 

[JDSCOIN]

Hello Templar09,

I agree with Steve McBride and Gunner. There are certainly ways in which to tell (determine an attribution) what an ancient coin is - actually several ways; IF you know what you are doing and what to look for.

Something which I did was to actually make a little list of some of these things to help people who are and who are not too familiar with ancient coins when it comes to attributing their ancient coins (or at least understand the process better). The list gives several points to go by. Perhaps you would find that of interest. If so, you can go to my webpage and find that. It is in the sidebar section.

Best regards.

JDSCOIN

 

[detector de metales]

All I say is NICE FIND!
I'll let you guys discuss the actual era of the coin!
HH