Coin identification

[Marcus Mummius]

Salvete,

I'm practicing cleaning cupric alloys with a scalpel at university. At the moment I'm working on a Roman coin. There is still some corrosion blurring the surface that I have to remove, but could anyone identify this coin for me?

If I had to guess I'd say it's from Valentianus, based on the headband and the figure with the laberum dragging a captive along. But I'm no expert of late Roman coins.





Thanks in advance,
Valete,
Jef

[Ligustinus]

If no one here is able to help. you might try the website for FORVM ANCIENT COINS. Not only do they have online attribution resources, they also have many very knowledgeable members on their message boards.

Good luck,

Ligustinus

(Matt Weaver)

[Komet]

I'd say you're definitely right that the coin is at the earliest mid-4th century, because that's when you start to see the new portraiture of the Valentinians with the pearl diadem and longer, leaner face rather than the tetrarchic portraiture that endured at least through Constantine. (example)

I can barely make out any of the letters on the obverse, but the legend and iconography on the reverse seem good enough that you can probably identify it relatively accurately in the RIC (Roman Imperial Coinage) if you dig enough. If your university is advanced enough to teach a class like that, I'd assume your library will have the books you need to identify coins.

The exergue says OSISC. The SISC refers to Siscia, Croatia. The O is for officina. Siscia operated until 383, so that should narrow your search down. So basically find the RIC volume for the latter half of the 4th century, scroll through all the emperors from about 330-390, looking only at coins minted in Siscia of that particular denomination (I don't know what that is, but it's not an aureus, for sure), and try to match ones that match the reverse. I bet you can track it down in maybe a half hour, and it's a good exercise in numismatics.

[aitor iriarte]

Jef,

I'm not a coin expert, but it is Valens. You can read around the head 'DN VALENS AVG'
The obverse says 'GLORIA RO MANORVM'
The exergue is 'QSISC' 'Q' goes for QVINTA, the fifth Imperial Mint at Sisak. The numerals for the Western mints are Latin, while those for the Eastern ones are Greek, even when the rest of inscriptions on the coin (the name of the mint, included) are Latin.

Aitor