Maximian HERCVLI DEBALLAT - Hercules fighting Hydra - Ancients.info - The Online Resource for Ancient Coins & Antiquities

gert · Jun 11, 2008, 07:54 AM

Not unknown, but unlisted in RIC:

The description below is for my coin, the bottom one in the picture.

Maximian AD 286-310, AE quinarius uncertain mint
MAXIMIANVS AVG; Laureate bust r.
HERCVLI DEBALLAT; Hercules, stg.l., holding club and lion’s skin, fighting Hydra
King Roman Quinarii p.424, no. 2; Extremely rare, third specimen known (the other two: Arethusa 4, Lugano (1996) lot 670 and Private collection); 1.13g; 16.4mm; Fine, obv. corr.

Cathy King notes on p.241 of her book that aurei with this reverse type were struck at the mints of Trier and Siscia, but she can’t decide where the quinarius might have been struck (courtesy to Curtis Clay for this paraphrasis on forvmancientcoins).

When the choice is between these two mints, then the Siscia mint is most probable. I can't recognize the style of Trier in these portraits. But why can't it belong to yet another mint?
Regards,
Gert

marcus flavius · Jun 11, 2008, 08:30 AM

Gert, hi and that was a nice "pick me up" coin. Great find and my own impression is the Rome mint, but it is only a quess. These are a real rarity and yours is the most interesting type of the bunch! Tell us your story on how you came across it because it couldn't have lasted long on the dealers tray.
Hope the experts are able to leave a better idea.

RobertB · Jan 27, 2009, 08:50 PM

Hi, I actually bought the coin from Gert, and I've also since concluded it's probably from Rome. 1, stylistically, portrait is dead-on, IMO more than the other mints, and 2, Rome has a couple other series of quarter-folles with no mintmark -- especially RIC 50-62, which has a bunch of PRINCIPI IVVENTVT fractions for the caesars, but none for the augusti -- this would fit quite nicely in that group. Presumably then there would be a IOVI fraction out there waiting to be discovered?

This is actually my first post to the group, I just joined -- imagine my surprise to find a thread about a coin that I bought!!

--Robert

gert · Feb 22, 2009, 02:41 PM

Hello Robert,
I am sure it has found a good home in your collection! Did you also compare the style of the other coin of the type to the Rome mint fractions you mention?
Regards
Gert

RobertB · Mar 3, 2009, 08:43 PM

I was just looking at my other Rome mint coins from the period in general -- I don't have any other fractions that are relevant -- but to me it seemed clearly more Rome than Siscia. Next time I'm in New York at the ANS library, this is definitely one of the things I want to research more.

I was just looking through the catalog to the upcoming Gorney + Mosch auction, and they had two similar unlisted fractions -- one was a Maximianus with ORIENS AVG reverse, the other was a Maximinus II with Principi ivventvti reverse. They had also attributed the first one to Siscia, also on the basis that there was an aureus with that reverse from there, but the Maximinus to Rome, based on its similarity to an attributed coin in the name of Severus II. Funny thing is, it was the wrong catalog -- turns out I was looking at catalog 156 from Mar 2007, not 176 for the upcoming auction, but I'm glad I noticed those coins. Evidently there's a lot to be discovered about these fractions. (Glad I didn't submit a bid sheet, I'd be feeling *really* foolish...)

--Robert

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Jun 11, 2008, 08:30 AM	#2
marcus flavius Registered User Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: The Deep South NC Posts: 374	Gert, hi and that was a nice "pick me up" coin. Great find and my own impression is the Rome mint, but it is only a quess. These are a real rarity and yours is the most interesting type of the bunch! Tell us your story on how you came across it because it couldn't have lasted long on the dealers tray. Hope the experts are able to leave a better idea.

Jan 27, 2009, 08:50 PM	#3
RobertB Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Connecticut Posts: 161	Hi, I actually bought the coin from Gert, and I've also since concluded it's probably from Rome. 1, stylistically, portrait is dead-on, IMO more than the other mints, and 2, Rome has a couple other series of quarter-folles with no mintmark -- especially RIC 50-62, which has a bunch of PRINCIPI IVVENTVT fractions for the caesars, but none for the augusti -- this would fit quite nicely in that group. Presumably then there would be a IOVI fraction out there waiting to be discovered? This is actually my first post to the group, I just joined -- imagine my surprise to find a thread about a coin that I bought!! --Robert

Feb 22, 2009, 02:41 PM	#4
gert Registered User Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 28	Hello Robert, I am sure it has found a good home in your collection! Did you also compare the style of the other coin of the type to the Rome mint fractions you mention? Regards Gert

Mar 3, 2009, 08:43 PM	#5
RobertB Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Connecticut Posts: 161	I was just looking at my other Rome mint coins from the period in general -- I don't have any other fractions that are relevant -- but to me it seemed clearly more Rome than Siscia. Next time I'm in New York at the ANS library, this is definitely one of the things I want to research more. I was just looking through the catalog to the upcoming Gorney + Mosch auction, and they had two similar unlisted fractions -- one was a Maximianus with ORIENS AVG reverse, the other was a Maximinus II with Principi ivventvti reverse. They had also attributed the first one to Siscia, also on the basis that there was an aureus with that reverse from there, but the Maximinus to Rome, based on its similarity to an attributed coin in the name of Severus II. Funny thing is, it was the wrong catalog -- turns out I was looking at catalog 156 from Mar 2007, not 176 for the upcoming auction, but I'm glad I noticed those coins. Evidently there's a lot to be discovered about these fractions. (Glad I didn't submit a bid sheet, I'd be feeling really foolish...) --Robert