ANTONINIANII FROM THE MINT OF ANTIOCH UNDER THE REIGN OF PHILIP THE ARAB (244-249 AD)

ROME MINT, mules

As I do not collect Rome mint as deeply as the Antioch mint, this page presents only a short outline of the coins produced by the major mint in order to share with you some interesting coins from my collection, particularly the hybrid antoninianii.

Counterfeited coins from official dies :

*** CLICK ON THE COIN TO UPSIZE THE PICTURE *** Philip the Arab Rome, 247 AD ุ22-23mm, 3.61g, die axis 5-6h A/ IMP PHILIPPVS AVG      Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from the rear. R/ ANNONA AVGG      Annona standing left, holding two corn-ears with right hand and cornucopia in left arm; prow at feet. Cohen 33, RIC 59 Philip the Arab Rome, 247 AD, MULE ุ24-25mm, 4.26g, die axis 6h A/ IMP PHILIPPVS AVG      Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from the rear. R/ ANNONA AVGG      Annona standing left, holding two corn-ears with right hand and cornucopia in left arm; at her feet, modius filled with corn-ears. Cohen -, RIC - (same obverse die as previous coin) Philip the Arab Solid silver imitation, after 247 AD, MULE ุ20-23mm, 3.26g, die axis 1h A/ IMP PHILIPPVS AVG      Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from the rear. R/ LAETIT FVNDAT      Laetitia standing left, foot on prow, holding patera with right hand and rudder with left one. Cohen -, RIC - (same obverse die as the previous two coins) Philip the Arab Solid silver imitation, after 247 AD, MULE ุ18.5-21mm, 3.83g, die axis 12h A/ IMP PHILIPPVS AVG      Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from the rear. R/ LAETIT FVNDAT      Laetitia standing left, foot on prow, holding patera with right hand and rudder with left one. Cohen -, RIC - (same reverse die as the previous coin) Philip the Arab Solid silver imitation, after 247 AD, MULE ุ19.5-20mm, 4.85g, die axis 0-1h A/ IMP PHILIPPVS AVG      Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from the rear. R/ LAETIT FVNDAT      Laetitia standing left, foot on prow, holding patera with right hand and rudder with left one. Cohen -, RIC - (same reverse die as the previous two coins) Philip the Arab Fouree coin, after 247 AD ุ20-21mm, 3.09g, die axis 1h A/ IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG      Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from the rear. R/ LAETIT FVNDAT      Laetitia standing left, foot on prow, holding patera with right hand and rudder with left one. Cohen 81, RIC 37b (same reverse die as the previous three coins)

Very interesting group of six coins linked by the obverse die for the first three, and by the reverse die for the last four. Besides the fact that finding die-linked coins from Rome mint is something rare in itself, this series have the double interest to link official coins from Rome mint to solid silver imitations and a fourre coin, but also to include two mules.

This group of 6 coins is then the evidence that some ancient counterfeited coins were struck from official dies. It is almost impossible that these counterfeits were struck within the mint because of the very strict control; it is more likely dies stolen by the mint workers in order to strike coins for their own profit, or to sell them to the counterfeiters.

"Transition mules" (247 AD) :

*** CLICK ON THE COIN TO UPSIZE THE PICTURE *** Philip the Arab Rome, 247 AD, MULE (coin shown in the previous chapter) ุ24-25mm, 4.26g, die axis 6h A/ IMP PHILIPPVS AVG      Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from the rear. R/ ANNONA AVGG      Annona standing left, holding two corn-ears with right hand and cornucopia in left arm; prow at feet. Cohen -, RIC - (modius instead of prow) Philip the Arab Rome, 247 AD, MULE ุ22-23mm, 4.49g, die axis 1h A/ IMP PHILIPPVS AVG      Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from the rear. R/ ROMAE AETERNAE      Roma seated left, on shield, holding Victoriola with right hand and sceptre with left one. Cohen -, RIC 106b (no altar at Roma's feet) Philip the Arab Rome, 247 AD, MULE ุ20-24mm, 3.35g, die axis 0-1h A/ M IVL PHILIPPVS CAES      Radiate and draped bust right, seen from the rear. R/ PAX AETERNA      Pax standing left, holding branch with right hand and sceptre with left one. Cohen -, RIC - (reverse of Philip II as Augustus with obverse of Philip II as Caesar)

This kind of mule that we can qualify as "transition mules" appeared at the mint of Rome in 247 AD when the obverse legend was modified from IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG to IMP PHILIPPVS AVG. During this period, we can find for the 6 officinae (P M TR P IIII COS II P P, AEQVITAS AVGG, ANNONA AVGG and ROMAE AETERNAE for Philippe father, PRINCIPI IVVENT then PAX AETERNA for Philippe son, and CONCORDIA AVGG for Otacilia Severa) association errors between obverse legend and reverse type. In the present cases, sequences should be the following ones:

IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG / ANNONA AVGG (with modius) – Cohen 25, RIC 28c
IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG / ANNONA AVGG (with prow) – Cohen 32, RIC 29
IMP PHILIPPVS AVG / ANNONA AVGG (with prow) – Cohen 33, RIC 59

IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG / ROMAE AETERNAE (without altar) – Cohen 169, RIC 44b
IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG / ROMAE AETERNAE (with altar) – Cohen 170, RIC 45
IMP PHILIPPVS AVG / ROMAE AETERNAE (with altar) – Cohen 171, RIC 65

M IVL PHILIPPVS CAES / PRINCIPI IVVENT – Cohen 48, RIC 218d (?)
IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG / PAX AETERNA – Cohen 24, RIC 227
IMP PHILIPPVS AVG / PAX AETERNA – Cohen 23, RIC 231c

It should be noted that for the Philip II coin, it would have been more logical to have the new obverse legend IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG associated with reverse PRINCIPI IVVENT.

Other mules :

*** CLICK ON THE COIN TO UPSIZE THE PICTURE *** Philip the Arab Rome mint, after 247 AD, MULE ุ21.5-23mm, 2.79g, die axis 1h A/ IMP PHILIPPVS AVG      Radiate and draped bust right, seen from the rear. R/ P M TR P III COS P P      Felicitas standing half-left, holding caduceus with right hand and cornucopia in left arm. Cohen 123, RIC 105

Rare mule associating the reverse P M TRP III COS P P - corresponding to year 246 - with the short obverse legend IMP PHILIPPVS AVG that appeared mid-247. A second specimen was found in the Tull hoard, nฐ916, but from a different pair of dies.

*** CLICK ON THE COIN TO UPSIZE THE PICTURE *** Philip II Caesar Rome mint, after 247 AD, MULE ุ22-24mm, 4.07g, die axis 1h A/ M IVL PHILIPPVS CAES      Radiate and draped bust right, seen from the rear. R/ ANNONA AVGG      Annona standing left, holding two corn-ears with right hand and cornucopia in left arm; prow at feet. Cohen -, RIC -

A completely unlisted combination between an obverse of Philip II as Caesar and the reverse ANNONA AVGG from the coinage of his father.

*** CLICK ON THE COIN TO UPSIZE THE PICTURE *** Philip the Arab Rome, second half of year 247 AD, UNLISTED BUST TYPE ุ22mm, 3.84g, die axis 6-7h A/ IMP PHILIPPVS AVG      Radiate nude bust right with drapery on left shoulder ; one wreath tie overlapping neck. R/ ROMAE AETERNAE      Roma seated left, on shield, holding Victoriola with right hand and sceptre with left one. Cohen 171 var., RIC 65 var. (UNIQUE bust type for Rome mint)

On all denarii, quinarii or antoninianii from Rome mint, Philip I is always depicted radiate, draped and cuirassed right, seen from the rear. Only bronzes from this mint show some exceptions, mainly on medallions but also on some very rare sestertii, though never with this bust type. The only silver coins showing this very peculiar bust type are tetradrachms from Antioch (cf. Prieur 452-453 for Philip II), but in the present case the style is undoubtedly from Rome mint.

According to Curtis Clay, ซ possibly this obverse die was cut for a special issue with an extraordinary reverse type, and once that issue was produced, the reverse dies were destroyed but the obverse die or dies continued to be used for the mint's normal production, with the current reverse types such as the present ROMAE AETERNAE ป.