Roman Bronze Coins

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.

Constantine the Great 307-337 AD - treasure trove roman bronze coin with London Mint Mark. On the 22nd of March 1970, a hoard of choice Constantinian Roman bronze coins was found in a field adjoining the Fosse Way, near Bourton-on-the-Water. The locals called the area the ‘Money Ground’ because so many Roman coins were found there over the years. This time they found the ultimate source, what had been an original sack of coins hidden almost 1,700 years ago. Correctly, the hoard was handed in and declared as Treasure Trove. We are thankful to David W. Burge for his excellent article about this hoard, in the Numismatic Chronicle of 1973. It tells you everything you would want to know about the hoard. There were 3,292 coins, all bronze, of which 1,802 were struck in London.

Continuing our series of the famous Constantinian Dynasty we offer Constans, the only son who certainly visited Britain. Born around A.D. 320, Constans was the youngest son of Constantine the Great. Following a short war with his brother, Constantine II, he survived and ruled the Western empire with Constantius II in the East. Constans even visited Britain in A.D. 343 by enduring the very dangerous crossing of the channel in mid-winter, campaigning against the Picts and Scots. This means Constans was the last legitimate Roman Emperor we know visited our shores. In A.D. 350 he was killed while on a hunting trip in Gaul by followers of the usurper Magnentius who went on to rule. We offer bronze coins struck between A.D. 342-348 with his bust on the obverse. The two Victories facing each other on the reverse symbolise military success for both Constans and his surviving brother, Constantius II. Here we offer them in Fine, we suspect it will sell out fast like the others in this series.

Continuing our series of the famous Constantinian Dynasty we offer Constans, the only son who certainly visited Britain. Born around A.D. 320, Constans was the youngest son of Constantine the Great. Following a short war with his brother, Constantine II, he survived and ruled the Western empire with Constantius II in the East. Constans even visited Britain in A.D. 343 by enduring the very dangerous crossing of the channel in mid-winter, campaigning against the Picts and Scots. This means Constans was the last legitimate Roman Emperor we know visited our shores. In A.D. 350 he was killed while on a hunting trip in Gaul by followers of the usurper Magnentius who went on to rule. We offer bronze coins struck between A.D. 342-348 with his bust on the obverse. The two Victories facing each other on the reverse symbolise military success for both Constans and his surviving brother, Constantius II. Here we offer them in Very Fine, we suspect they will sell out fast...

From the series of the famous Constantinian Dynasty, we are now offering Constantine II, the son who thought that he should have ruled alone as the eldest. Probably born in A.D. 316 to Constantine the Great, Constantine Junior was raised to the rank of Caesar very young in A.D. 317, showing some military prowess in the next 20 years. On the death of his father in A.D. 337, he was made Senior Augustus and given Spain, Gaul, and Britain to rule. He thought he deserved more so set out to take from his younger brother, Constans, in Italy. But Constantine was ambushed by his brother’s troops and killed in A.D. 340, lasting only three years. We offer bronze coins struck A.D. 330-337 with the reverse ‘GLORIAEXERCITVS’ or ‘Glory to the Army'. Here we offer the coin in Fine, very reasonable for a coin almost 2,000 years old. Get it now, so you won't feel jealous later...

Constantine II was the eldest son of Constantine the Great, he was Roman Emperor from 337 until his death in 340 AD. After his father’s death, the empire was divided among Constantine II and his brothers, Constantius II and Constans. Constantine II ruled over Gaul, Britannia, and Hispania. His reign was marked by tensions with his brothers, culminating in a failed attempt to assert dominance over Constans’ territories. In 340 AD, Constantine II invaded Italy but was ambushed and killed near Aquileia. His rule was relatively short and tumultuous, overshadowed by the internal strife that characterised the early years of the post-Constantinian empire. Here we are offering his Follis in mint state, a grade which a very difficult grade to find when it comes to 4th century coinage. You can see every bit of detail on these beautiful coins.

From the series of the famous Constantinian Dynasty, we are now offering Constantine II, the son who thought that he should have ruled alone as the eldest. Probably born in A.D. 316 to Constantine the Great, Constantine Junior was raised to the rank of Caesar very young in A.D. 317, showing some military prowess in the next 20 years. On the death of his father in A.D. 337, he was made Senior Augustus and given Spain, Gaul, and Britain to rule. He thought he deserved more so set out to take from his younger brother, Constans, in Italy. But Constantine was ambushed by his brother’s troops and killed in A.D. 340, lasting only three years. We offer bronze coins struck A.D. 330-337 with the reverse ‘GLORIA EXERCITVS’ or ‘Glory to the Army’. Here we offer the coin in Very Fine, very reasonable for a coin almost 2,000 years old. Get it now, so you won't feel jealous later...

This is one of a handful of very interesting commemorative issues struck by Constantine the Great. The type offered here is one of the more a affordable types and was made for the founding of Constantinople in A.D. 330. They are made from bronze and show the bust of Goddess of the city, ‘Constantinopolis’, in a helmet and war gear on the obverse. The reverse shows the goddess of Victory on the prow of a ship holding a sceptre and shield. This is to symbolise the port being captured using ships by Constantine’s son, Crispus. But what makes these coins so interesting is how well they have survived! At this time bronze coins would circulate so heavily that it is very hard to find them in a good grade. We have a small collection of this commemorative from 1400 years ago in this exceptional About Extremely Fine grade. They are yours for just £69.50.

Constantius I as Caesar. A.D. 293-305., Antioch - A.D. 297. Æ Ant. Radiate head right / 'CONCORDIA MILITVM' Constantius receiving Victory on globe from Jupiter. Good Fine.

Continuing our series of the famous Constantinian Dynasty we offer Constantius II, the last surviving son of Constantine the Great. Constantius II was born in A.D. 317 and named after his grandfather, the Tetrach Constantius I, who came to Britain and died at York. After Constantine the Great died in A.D. 337 Constantius II shared the rule of the empire with his two brothers. After a 13 years of tension Constantius II emerged as the sole ruler of the Roman Empire. He was involved in many wars throughout his reign, putting down rebellions and defending the empire against invaders. He died in A.D. 361 on the way to fight another rival, who became his successor, Julian II. These bronze coins offered here in Very Fine have the reverse design of a Roman soldier spearing a fallen horseman with the obverse showing a profile bust of Constantius II. We have offered different types of Constantius II before, check your collection as we suspect you will not have this reverse from this interesting and successful ruler.

Continuing our series of the famous Constantinian Dynasty we offer Crispus, the son who was second only to Constantine before being executed. A 1700-year-old mystery that will likely never be solved. Flavius Julius Crispus was born around A.D. 300, the son of Constantine the Great by his first wife Minervina. Made Caesar in A.D. 317 Crispus had a very successful military career, even helping his father to overcome and defeat the rival emperor Licinius in A.D. 324. He was all but heir to the throne but in A.D. 326 he was mysteriously executed on the orders of his father, Constantine the Great. The best theory we have is that his stepmother, the Empress Fausta, engineered it for her own son’s advancement as shortly after Fausta herself was dead on the orders of her devastated and furious husband. These bronze coins were struck in the early A.D. 320s and have various reverses. Crispus does not reign long and after his death, a ‘Damnatio Memoriae’ was enacted meaning his coins are Scarce, and we have limited stock available for this coin. These coins remain some of the best sources of information for him being Caesar. We offer them here in Fine, do not miss out.

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.

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!

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!

Severus II (A.D. 305-307) is a very hard emperor to find as he is struck coins for less than two years. When Galerius elevated his childhood friend (Severus) to Caesar, Diocletian is meant to have said, “What! That dancer, that habitual drunkard who turns night into day and day into night?” Regardless, Severus was made Augustus after a year and sent to shut down the rebellion of Maxentius. His army defected, he was captured and eventually executed by the rebels. We have a limited number of his bronze Quater Follis coins showing his bust on the obverse and various reverses. They grade Fine and are priced accordingly.

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.

Vetranio. A.D. 350. Siscia. Billon Maiorina. Laureate bust right / 'HOC SIGNO VICTOR ERIS' Vetranio standing left holding Chi-Rho banner & spear, being crowned by Victory on right. Extremely Fine & Scarce. A clear link to Constantine with 'under this sign you shall conqueror' in latin.