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Roman Coins

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Post  HoardCopperByTheTon Tue Dec 22, 2009 1:55 am

Many times when we look at a coin we wonder where it has been and what stories it could tell. Some of my favorite Roman coins are the Legionary Denari of Marc Anthony. These coins were definately there. One side features a Roman Galley and the other side a Legionary standard with the legion's number (in Roman numerals of course). Each Roman Legion was paid with coins bearing its number. I collect these by legion.
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Post  Country Tue Dec 22, 2009 3:08 pm

These coins were real money given to pay Marc Anthony's troops. While the Emperors of Rome debased the currency, these coins circulated as real money for hundreds of years and many were worn nearly flat.

Roman Coins IMG_7443

Roman Coins IMG_7442


To pay the troops each Legion had a mint that traveled with them and coined money to pay the legions, and this coin is from the mint that traveled with the 23rd Legion.

A huge number of coins were required to pay up to 160,000 men in his army. If we assume that Antony maintained the pay rate established by Caesar of 10 Asses (bronze) per day per soldier or 30 Asses per month. Pay day for the Legions occurred 3 times a year or every 4 months. At 16 Asses to the denarius (the rate at the time) we have 75 denarii 3 times a year. The payroll the traveling mints would have had to produce would have been approximately 3 million denarii a month, Or 36 million (36,000,000) per year. An impressive number of coins for the period. Paying the troops took a significant percentage of Rome's coin output so it is not surprising that the coins feature a variety of military messages upon them to maintain their loyalty and broadcast the Emperor's military virtues. Indeed keeping the soldiers well paid became a major means of remaining (or becoming) emperor in Rome, as we shall see later among the coinage and in Roman history.



http://shekel.blogspot.com/2009/05/ancient-coin-post-legionary-denarius-of.


Last edited by Country on Tue Dec 22, 2009 3:10 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Post  AGgressive Metal Tue Dec 22, 2009 3:10 pm

Major coolness - how much do these run? pirat
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Post  HoardCopperByTheTon Thu Dec 24, 2009 11:40 pm

It depends on condition. Really worn ones are cheap, and the ones where you can see the smile on face of the rowers of the galley are quite expensive. farao
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Post  PreservingThePast Sun Jan 03, 2010 7:00 pm

Country...thanks for the history lesson. Really cool!

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Post  Pennysaved Sun Jan 03, 2010 9:38 pm

I have never seen Roman coins at my coin store; where is the best place to buy them?

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Post  HoardCopperByTheTon Sun Jan 03, 2010 10:13 pm

Many coin stores do not stock Roman coins. A major coin show is usually a good place to find some. You could probably also buy some from other members. What a Face
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Post  uthminsta Sun Jan 03, 2010 10:33 pm

Best place to buy some is from me. Cool Seriously, I'm only kind of kidding. Wink I have a few that I am trying to get an idea on, mostly with the help of HCBTT, and when I know enough to be dangerous, I will offer them up. This is the only one I currently have scanned.
Roman Coins 4220470663_08004d6c48_m Roman Coins 4220470667_9f014ccfc8_m
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Post  HoardCopperByTheTon Mon Jan 04, 2010 3:02 am

Of course we don't want him to think they are worth too much.. so I can add them to my own collection.
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Post  HoardCopperByTheTon Mon Jan 04, 2010 3:03 am

That Antoninianus of Postumus would be a reasonable addition to most collections. What a Face
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Post  HoardCopperByTheTon Mon Jan 04, 2010 3:09 am

That antoninianus, showing his profile, was minted during Postumus' rule. The antoninianus was supposedly the equivalent of 2 silver denari. They originally had a silver wash on the outside.. which quickly wore off. These were among some of the earlier debased coinages.. starting with the Roman Emporor Diocletian.. with the possible exception of the emergency issues of the Athenian Tetradracm. And you guys thought clad coinage was a relatively recent game governments play.

Little is known about the early life of Postumus, but it is believed that he was a Gaul of humble origins who rose through the ranks of the army, eventually becoming the governor of Upper or Lower Germany. While Gallienus was dealing with problems in the east, he left his son, Saloninus , and military commanders, including Postumus, to protect the Rhine. Amid the chaos of an invasion by the Alemanni and Franks, Postumus was declared emperor. Postumus then besieged and attacked Cologne where Silvanus, praetorian prefect and former co-director of Roman policy on Gaul (along with Postumus) had sided with Saloninus. After breaching the walls of the city, Postumus had Silvanus and Saloninus killed; later he erected a triumphal arch to celebrate his victory.

He was recognized as emperor in Gaul, Spain, Germany, and Britain. Postumus set up the capital of his renegade empire at Cologne, complete with its own senate, consuls and praetorian guard. He represented himself as the restorer of Gaul on some of his coins, a title he earned after successfully defending Gaul against the Germans. The coins issued by Postumus were of better workmanship and higher precious metal content than coins issued by Gallienus.

In 263, Gallienus launched a campaign to defeat Postumus. After initial success against Postumus, Gallienus was seriously wounded and needed to return home. After his failed attempt at defeating Postumus, Gallienus was occupied with crises in the rest of his empire and never challenged Postumus again.

Aureolus, a general of Gallienus who was in command of Milan, openly changed sides and allied himself with Postumus. The city of Milan would have been critical to Postumus if he planned to march on Rome. For whatever reason, Postumus failed to support Aureolus, who was besieged by Gallienus.
Postumus, a usurper of Gallienus, was himself challenged by a usurper in 268. Laelianus, one of Postumus' top military leaders, was declared emperor in Mainz by the local garrison and surrounding troops. Although Postumus was able to quickly capture Mainz and kill Laelianus, he was unable to control his own troops and they turned on him and killed him. There are two different explanations for why his troops turned on him. One holds that his troops were dissatisfied with him for not allowing them to sack the city of Mainz. The other proposes that it was supporters of Laelianus among his own troops that turned on him.

Following the death of Postumus, his empire lost control of Britain and Spain, and the shrunken remains of the Gallic Empire were inherited by Marius. Postumus is listed among the Thirty TyrantsThe Thirty Tyrants or Thirty Pretenders (Latin: Tyranni Triginta were a group of 32 people declared by the author of the notorously unreliable Historia Augusta, writing under the name Trebellius Pollio, to have been pretenders to the throne of the Roman E in the Historia Augusta.

NOTE: Although his reign is often listed as beginning in AD 259 AD, it is now believed that the summer or fall of 260 is the more likely date that he was hailed emperor. This topic is still hotly debated. If the date of 260 is chosen for the start of Postumus' reign, then all subsequent dates involving the Gallic Empire are pushed back by one year.
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Post  jadedragon Tue Jan 05, 2010 3:42 am

Found this interesting page on Roman Coins. I like how he points out you can date one coin exactly to 79AD.
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