Roman Bronze Coins

Hadrian, AD 117-138. Rome AD 138. Æ Sestertius. Obv. Laureate head right. Rev. Diana (goddess of the hunt) standing left holding bow & arrow; 'S-C' across fields. Extremely Fine & Scarce with a wonderful bold portrait, well centred with full legends. From an old collection with tickets. [RIC 777, Sear 3645]

Hadrian. A.D. 117-138., Rome - A.D. 135. Æ Sestertius. Laureate head right / 'AEQ[VITA]S AVG' Aequitas standing left holding scales & sceptre. About Very Fine.

Emperor Jovian was a Roman emperor who reigned briefly from June 363 to February 364 AD. Born in 331 AD in Singidunum (modern-day Belgrade), Jovian was a senior officer in the Roman army under Emperor Julian. Following Julian’s death during a campaign against the Persians, Jovian was proclaimed emperor by his troops. His reign is noted for restoring Christianity as the empire’s favoured religion, reversing Julian’s attempts to revive paganism. Jovian secured a peace treaty with the Persian King Shapur II, ceding some territory to ensure the army’s safe retreat. He died unexpectedly after only eight months in power, under mysterious circumstances. We are offering Follis from his reign with the obverse showing the bust of the emperor and the reverse showing VOT V MVLT X. These follis come in “VERY Fine-Good Very Fine” grade.

Julia Mamaea, Mother of S. Alexander., Æ Sestertius. Vesta stg. Good Very Fine & Scarce.

Continuing our series of the famous Constantinian Dynasty we offer Julian, the Last Pagan Emperor. Julian was born in A.D. 332, nephew to Constantine the Great. He was five years old when Constantine died, the sons of Constantine then murdered any rivals, including his father. The infant Julian was sent to be educated in Athens until A.D. 355 when Constantius II summoned him to deal with problems in the West. He was successful and so popular that the army later proclaimed him emperor, luckily Constantius II died in A.D. 361, resolving the issue. Julian tolerated all religions but is best known for attempting to reinstate the old Roman gods, earning the name Julian ‘The Apostate’ from later writers. His short reign ended when he died of wounds from a skirmish with the Sassanian army during an attempted invasion in A.D. 363. We offer bronze coins of Julian showing his portrait with various reverses. The coins presented here grade in Fine but there is a very limited number as Julian is not as easy to find as his cousins. We hope you get one!

Born in 315 AD, Valerius Licinianus Licinius briefly ruled alongside his father, Licinius, in the early 4th century. He became Caesar in 317, co-ruling the Eastern Roman Empire. However, his reign was short-lived, as political turmoil and conflicts with the rival emperor Constantine the Great led to Licinius II's untimely demise. In 324 AD, he was possibly executed as part of the power struggles of the time. Licinius II remains a relatively obscure figure in Roman history, his significance overshadowed by the turbulent events of the era. We are offering Nummus from his short reign in Fine grade and all with Jupiter, king of the Gods, on the reverse.

Born around the year A.D. 265 in Roman Dacia, Licinius grew up with the future emperor Galerius and they served in the Roman army together. Galerius later appointed him Augustus in the West in A.D. 308. Following the deaths of Galerius, Maximinus II and Maxentius, the empire was left under the control of Licinius and Constantine the Great in A.D. 313. Licinius married Constantine’s half-sister, Constantia, to improve relations but in reality, both men only wanted control of the whole empire! They fought on and off until A.D. 324 when Constantine defeated Licinius first at Hadrianopolis and then at Chrysopolis. Licinius surrendered and, thanks to his wife, was sent to retirement. In A.D. 325 Licinius and his son were both hanged on the orders of Constantine for plotting. We offer you a bronze coin struck for Licinius which shows his bust on the obverse with various reverses. We can provide two grades, Fine and Very Fine, and as we have not been able to offer these for a long while we expect they will sell fast! Get the coin of Constantine the Great’s ultimate rival and imagine, what could the world be like if he had won.

Born around the year A.D. 265 in Roman Dacia, Licinius grew up with the future emperor Galerius and they served in the Roman army together. Galerius later appointed him Augustus in the West in A.D. 308. Following the deaths of Galerius, Maximinus II, and Maxentius by A.D. 313, the empire was left under the control of Licinius and Constantine the Great. Licinius married Constantine’s half-sister, Constantia, to help cement relations but in reality, both men wanted control of the whole empire! They fought on and off until A.D. 324 when Constantine defeated Licinius first at Hadrianopolis then at Chrysopolis. Licinius surrendered and, thanks to his wife, was sent in retirement. In A.D. 325 Licinius and his son were both hanged on the orders of Constantine for plotting. We offer you a bronze coin struck for Licinius which shows his bust on the obverse with various reverses in Very Fine, and as we have not been able to offer these for a long time we expect they will sell fast! Get the coin of Constantine the Great’s ultimate rival and imagine, what could the world be like if he had won?

Lucania, Herakleia. Ca. 3rd Century B.C., Æ 15. Helmeted head of Athena right / Marine deity (Triton or Glaukos) slithering right holding spear & shield. Fine/About Very Fine & Rare.

Maxentius was born around A.D. 283 to the Emperor Maximian who ruled the Roman Empire with Diocletian in the Tetrarchy system. They retired in A.D. 305 and Maxentius was ignored by the new senior emperor, Galerius, in the reshuffle, so in A.D. 306 he seized power in Rome, eventually coaxing his father from retirement for support. He formed an alliance with Constantine (the Great) leaving him in control of Italy and North Africa and Constantine in Britain, France & Spain. Maxentius seized power in A.D. 306 because Galerius tried to disband the Praetorian Guard and tax Rome for the first time in 400 years; Maxentius said he would protect tradition and he was made emperor with an army! We offer his bronze coin in Very Fine which states this directly on the reverse with ‘CONSERV VRB SVAE’ meaning ‘the Preserver / Protector of His City’ around the goddess Roma in a six-column temple. These coins were struck in Rome between A.D. 307-311 and found in Cambridgeshire in the 1970s, museum conserved, and later sold to a dealer who sat on them for years until he sold them to us. It always amazes us that you can buy a coin knowing where and when it was made, who by and why, and a direct link to someone in Britain over 1700 years ago.

Maximian was humbly born around A.D. 250 near Sirmium. He rose rapidly through a military career and was chosen by the emperor Diocletian as his co-emperor in A.D. 286. After a successful reign he reluctantly abdicated with the senior emperor Diocletian in A.D. 305. But Maxentius, his son, rebelled in Rome in A.D. 306 against the current emperor Galerius, luring Maximian out of retirement. In A.D. 308 he tried to usurp Maxentius’ authority so was forced to take refuge in Gaul with his son-in-law Constantine. Trying the same in A.D. 310 Maximian was besieged and defeated by Constantine, dying rather than retire. The coins we offer here are Billon Follis in About Extremely Fine condition showing his laureate bust on the obverse and with various reverses. They are from the same small group as the Diocletian Follis from last issue meaning they are big, beautiful and there are only 22 of them so do not miss out…

Maximian. A.D. 286-305., Lugdunum - A.D. 293. Billon Antonininianus. Radiate bust right / 'PAX AVGG' Pax standing left holding Victory on globe & sceptre. Reverse struck from worn die, Extremely Fine.

Maximianus. A.D. 286-305., Trier - A.D. 297. Æ Follis. Laureate head right / 'GENIO POPVLI ROMANI' Genius stg. left holding cornucopiae & patera. Cracked flan, Very Fine.

Nero (A.D. 54-68) is one of the most famous Roman Emperors. His mother married Claudius (A.D. 41-54) and manoeuvred Nero as his successor. He was under better influences at the start of his reign but as he managed to rid himself of these he devolved into the tyrant famous today! Eventually, after repeated revolts, Nero committed suicide but legends of his survival persisted for hundreds of years. We offer a bronze As coin of Nero in Very Good, he is always popular, there are limited available.

Bronze AE25 minted at Perge, the capital of Pamphylia (modern day Antalya, Turkey) in the reign of Maximinus I.

Philip I (AD244-249), Viminacium, Moesia Superior, AE 28. Obv. Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust facing right. Rev. P M S COL VIM, Moesia standing with arms outstretched between lion and bull. AN V in exergue. Good very fine

Postumus. A.D. 260-269. Gallic Empire. Trier - A.D. 261. Æ Double Sestertius. Radiate, draped & cuir. bust R. / 'LAETITIA AVG' Galley to R., with four rowers & steersman. Fine & RARE.

Probus, AD 276-282, AE Antoninianus. Obverse. Radiate and cuirassed bust of Probus facing to right. Reverse. COMES AVG, Minerva standng to left holding olive-branch and spear, shield resting at side. Officina mark A in field to left. Lugdunum AD 282. [S.11962] Extremely Fine with traces of original silvering.

Quintillus, AD 270, AE. Antoninianus. Obverse. Radiate draped and cuirassed bust of Quintillus facing right. Reverse. FORTVNA REDVX, Fortuna standing holding rudder set on globe and cornucopiae, Officina mark Z in field. [S.11441] About Extremely Fine

Quintillus became emperor in A.D. 270 on the death of his brother, Claudius II Gothicus. He was emperor for either 17 or 117 days, depending which ancient writer you believe, but not long in any case. This means he is an emperor whose coins are missing from many collections. We have a lovely group of bronze Antoninianus coins showing his radiate bust on the obverse and a standing figure on the reverse. They are Very Fine in grade but some have weak areas as they were struck in a time of crisis. These are scarce and difficult to find so get one quickly before our limited supplies run out.

Late in the ‘Crisis of the Third Century’ Britain & Northern France did not have enough regular coinage so the locals took matters into their own hands! Recent research shows the new, superior silver coin of Aurelian were being saved and not used, so for about 11 years (A.D. 275-286) crude, bronze coins were made locally to ‘top up’ the coins in circulation. They copied old types from Gallienus, Postumus, Claudius II (to name a few) but the quality of the designs varied hugely as they were made by normal people risking death for ‘counterfeiting’. We have a group of these ‘Barbarous Radiates’ that all show a head on the obverse and different reverses, but as they are crudely made, the first to order will get the best. Add to your collection an ancient coin of the people who risked death just to help out their local area, a local coin for local people!

Not sure how to start collecting ancient Roman coins? We have tried to make things easy for you! This collection spans a 125 year period from A.D. 253 to A.D. 378, an era which saw the mighty Roman Empire recover from the edge of decline and disaster back to glory and grandeur. These bronze coins will comprise the emperors Gallienus, Constantine the Great, Constans, Valentinian, Constantius II and Valens. This means the coins will be at least 1640 years old! Each coin will be in nice collectable condition and clearly identifiable with a well-defined portrait of the emperor who issued it. These coins were minted and circulated across the Empire, each will come with an information sheet containing a short history of the emperor. Start collecting ancient Roman coins today with this set, or offer it to your favourite ancient history buff! The coins are not mounted onto the cards, they are supplied in individual envelopes marked with the emperors' name.

Thinking of starting an ancient Roman coin collection? We are offering a 'starter collection' containing three different genuine bronze coins of different Roman Emperors spanning a 72-year period from AD 306-378, this also makes the coins at least 1640 years old. Each coin will be in nice collectible condition, clearly identifiable with a well-defined portrait of the emperor who issued it. The coins you will receive are struck in bronze and are genuine ancient Roman coins which were minted and circulated across the Empire between AD 306-378 issued by the Emperors Constantine The Great, Constantius II, and Valens. Each coin comes with an information sheet with a short history of each emperor. The coins are not mounted onto the cards, they are supplied in individual envelopes marked with the emperor's name.

We've created this follow up collection especially for those of you who purchased the first starter collection. This second part of the collection features coins with the portrait of Gallienus (253–268 AD), Constans I (337–350 AD), and Valentinian I (west, 364–375 AD). Like the first collection, these coins are at least 1640 years old, each coin comes in nice collectable condition, clearly identifiable with a well-defined portrait of the emperor who issued it. And of course, just like the first one, they come with an information sheet with a short history of the emperor, to help you study and fully immerse in the history of the Roman Empire. Well, what are you waiting for? Add to your recent collection and continue learning ancient history while collecting coins! The coins are not mounted onto the cards, they are supplied in individual envelopes marked with the emperors name.

Romano-British Empire. Carausius. A.D. 286-293., London - A.D. 291. Æ Antoninianus. Radiate bust right / 'PROVIDENT AVG' Providentia stg. left holding globe & transverse sceptre with 'B-E' in fields & 'MLXXI' in Ex. Good Fine & Scarce.