Roman Bronze Coins

Antoninus Pius. A.D. 138-161. Rome - A.D. 144. Æ Sestertius. Laureate head right / 'IMPERATOR II' Victory flying right holding trophy in both hands. About Very Fine & Very Scarce. Imperator a second time for Lollius Urbicus' fighting in Britain!

Antoninus Pius. A.D. 138-161., Rome - A.D. 146. Æ Sestertius. Laureate head right / 'COS IIII' Antoninus with radiate nimbus standing left holding branch & spear, 'S-C' in fields. Pleasing Very Fine & Scarce.

This hoard of 47,912 Third century A.D. bronze Antoniniani is one of the largest ever found in Britain. It was discovered by a metal detectorist in December 1985 in the parish of Normanby, about twelve miles north of Lincoln. The hoard was delivered to the British Museum for cleaning and study, and was the subject of a Treasure Inquest on 19 May 1987, where it was found not to be Treasure Trove, in view of the low silver content of the coins, and consequently became the property of the land owner. The hoard was immediately sold by the owner to a coin dealer and has been gradually dispersed in the trade. We have been fortunate to acquire a small group of coins from this hoard. The coins were struck between A.D. 260 and 287 and are mostly of Victorinus, Tetricus I, and II. You can have a choice of grades, Fine, Very Fine, or Extremely Fine with prices to please. These Roman coins will be over 1,700 years old soon, they were found in Britain and we will provide you with a certificate of authenticity. Get one for your collection today!

Bronze Antoninianus in Extremely Fine condition

Bronze Antoninianus in Fine condition

Bronze Antoninianus in Very Fine condition

Carinus. A.D. 283-285., Rome - A.D. 285. Billon Antoninianus. Radiate bust right / 'PIETAS AVG' Mercury standing left holding purse & caduceus. Good Very Fine & Scarce. Mercury is rare on Imperial Roman coins.

Born in Etruria around A.D. 325 Gallus was a sickly child, saving him in A.D. 337 from the purges by the sons of Constantine I. By A.D. 351 Constantius II was ruling alone and needed support. He raised his cousin Gallus to the rank of Caesar, gave him the name Constantius and appointed him governor over the Eastern provinces of the Roman Empire. But Gallus was not fit for the job. He was so tyrannical and brutal that the local citizens were forced to complain directly to Constantius II to avoid retribution. Constantius recalled Gallus to Italy, had him arrested on the journey, tried and executed in A.D 354! As he only reigned three years Gallus is the hardest to find of all the Constantinian ruling dynasty. These coins, in Fine and Very Fine, show a soldier spearing a fallen horseman on the reverse with a profile bust of Constantius Gallus on the obverse. Gallus will be missing from many collections and our supplies are limited, do not miss out.

Contemporary imitation of Augustus & Agrippa. Ca 29-15 B.C., Nemausus, Gaul. Æ Dupondius. 'IMP DIVI F' Stylised Agrippa L. wearing rostral crown & Augustus bare head R., back to back / 'COL-NEM' Stylised crocodile R. chained to tree with wreath above, jaws both facing up. Good Very Fine with chocolate patina & Rare! Celtic in style, light weight & exciting.

Florian. A.D. 276., Cyzicus. Billon Antoninianus. Rad. bust R. / 'CONCORDIA MILITVM' Victory stg. on L. hdg. palm & offering wreath to Florian stg. hdg. sceptre. Good Very Fine & Scarce.

Gallienus. A.D. 253-268. Antioch - A.D. 267. Silvered Æ Ant. Radiate bust right / 'SOLI INVICTO' Sol standing facing, head left, with arm raised & holding globe. Silvered, Good Extremely Fine & Scarce. One of very few types that depict Sol wearing any clothes.

Gallienus ruled as sole emperor from A.D. 260-268 during one of the most difficult times in the history of the empire. He issued a fantastic group of bronze Antoniniani coins to ask Gods for their protection. We offer: the Doe for Diana, The Hippocamp for Neptune, The Gazelle for Diana, and the Panther for Liber. The coins are Very Fine and for some of them we have just seven left, get in quick.

Hadrian (A.D. 117-138) was one of the most able and conscientious Roman Emperors. He spent his reign visiting the vast majority of his provinces. Consolidating and strengthening the Empire’s defenses after the expansion by his predecessor, Trajan. The most famous example of his work was Hadrian’s Wall! Which spread from the River Tyne in the East to the River Solway in the West: at 73 miles (117.5 kilometers) it is the largest Roman monument anywhere in the world! Own a Roman bronze coin of Hadrian called an ‘As’. These are well circulated, I.E. Very Good grade, and at a very reasonable price. The coins have his portrait visible but please don’t expect a lot more at this price.

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.

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.

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!

Vabalathus. A.D. 271-272., Antioch. Billon Antonianus. 'VABALATHVS V C R IM D R' Laureate bust right / 'IMP C AVRELIANVS AVG' Radiate bust of Aurelian right. Good Very Fine & Very Scarce. Made by Zenobia to try to legitimise her regime.