Licinius I HERCVLI INVICTO... from Treveri??

[Severus]

Motivated to post this by Victor's excellent find here:

https://www.lateromanbronzecoinforum.com/index.php/topic,1874.0.html

obv/IMP LICIN[…], laureate bust right
rev/HERCVLI INVICTO, Hercules standing facing, head left, holding club and lion’s skin; PTR [?] in ex.
13mm, 0.7g

ex-CNG: https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=264906



Not sure what to do with this... CNG placed this as Trier from 310/311, but the coin IMO is too light. I would put it 313-315 post-Milvian Bridge from Trier or Rome -- both mints struck lots of fractions with distinctive reverse types. The fact that Victor's coin came from Rome mint IMO makes it more likely that this also comes from Rome, otherwise it's hard for me to understand why Trier or Lugdunum would strike a Hercules coin at all. The mintmark from Rome would have been RT for this issue, which is plausible given the state of the mintmark on the coin.

[Victor]

Below is a fractional issue for Constantine from Trier that I sold. It would make sense for Licinius to have a companion piece, but the Constantine issue is bare-headed. The mintmark on the Licinius coin is hard to make out, but it looks more like ATR, but there was only one workshop until after A.D. 315.


Constantine I
A.D. 313- 315
quarter follis
14mm 1.1gm
CONSTANTINVS P F AVG; bare head
SAPIENT PRINCIPIS; Altar with owl, spear across altar, shield to left and helmet to right.
In exergue PTR 
Cf. RIC VII Trier 64

your coin on Lech's page

http://www.notinric.lechstepniewski.info/7tri-62.html

[Severus]

My first reaction is that there is no reason why Constantine should have a bare bust while Licinius has a laureate bust, but looking at RIC VII for that issue (p. 169) there is a rare Mars fraction with laureate bust for Constantine (# 68, 69), plus there are footnotes for Licinius examples of some of the other types from that issue, so this coin might slot into that group next to the Mars coin for Constantine?

[Victor]

Have you checked the Zschucke book on Trier coinage? I have it, but haven't looked.

[Severus]

I have it too, but it is specifically just about the BEATA TRANQVILLITAS types.

[Heliodromus]

Style looks eastern to me. Mintmark could be HTA - Heraclea, issued by Galerius.for his new western "Herculean" emperor ?

[Victor]

I have it too, but it is specifically just about the BEATA TRANQVILLITAS types.

The BEATA book is by Alten and Zschucke. I was talking about the one by Zschuke only-- Die Bronze--Teilstuck-Pragungen der Romischen Munzstatte Trier

I think that drukkar's suggestion about the mintmark maybe being HTA is pretty good.

[Severus]

The immediate problem though is that there aren't ANY issues of fractional nummi for Heraclea (unless it's the ubiquitous CONCORDIA MILITVM coins somewhere) and its uncommon for the eastern mints in general. Much more typical of a western mint, particularly Rome or Trier.

Maybe struck in Rome in connection with Licinius' visit to Italy in 313 as a commemorative?

[Heliodromus]

I'm having a hard time seeing the mintmark as PTR or RP ... it seems to be 3 letters with the first having two straight uprights which would have to be an "H".

I woudn't be too put off by lack of other fractions from Heraclea. There are fractions from Siscia and Constantinople that AFAIK are only known from a single specimens. The Siscian one is PACIS GLORIA issued for Constantine by Licinius seemingly in response to Constantine's FVNDAT PACIS, GLORIA PERPET types.

A Hercvli reverse is an odd choice for Licinius, and the theory that it was issued by Galerius early on when he was regarded as a western/Herculean emperor would at least provide an explanation.

Here's a couple of coins from Rome and Trier in 313 for style comparison.