Late Roman Bronze Coins

Assorted topics => History => Topic started by: Victor on July 11, 2012, 09:58:16 PM

Title: Coin circulation
Post by: Victor on July 11, 2012, 09:58:16 PM
This was an interesting topic on another forum, which I thought I would continue. These are examples of ancient coins still in circulation long after they were minted. Of course, there is no way to know if they were continually in circulation or perhaps just recently re-introduced.

From the article by  Arthur E. Robinson,  False and Imitation Roman Coins, The Journal of Antiquarian Association of the British Isles 2, no. 3 (1931) : 102.


In 1916, Robinson was in the Sudan, and his "Nubian" servant brought him some small coins which still circulated west of the Nile. An assortment of the coins consisted of--

Ptolemaic (2 specimens), BM cat. 106, 32-5; Svoronos 1426.
Hadrian (Alex.) BM cat. 346, 21; Dattari 6299.
Probus (Alex.) BM cat. 315, 2435; Svoronos 5557.
Diocletian, BM cat. 324, 2510; Dattari 5693.
Constantine I, not in BM cat.; Dattari 6054.
Turkish, Early Othmanli circ. A.D. 1000 (clipped).



Coins struck under Constantine the Great (323-337AD) were still in circulation in remote places of southern France during Napoleon III. (1852-1870).
(Friedensburg, Die Munze in der Kulturgeschichte, pg. 3)



In 1636, a bronze coin of Domitian (81-96AD) was countermarked during the monetary reform of Philip IV, ruler of Spain.
(Blanchet, Sur la chronologie Atablie par les contremarques 1907)