Jeff Herke Metal Detecting Finds from England 2012

Jeff Herke
2012 Metal Detecting Finds From England

3rd Century Roman Bronze Coin

This is a relatively early follis. As you probably know, the social and economic chaos of the 3rd century was finally brought under control by Diocletian and the tetrarchic system of 2 Augusti and 2 Caesars. This monetary reform created a large (quite nearly the size and weight of a 2nd century sestertius) silvered billon piece the exact name of which we don't know, but is generally called a "Follis".

Of course, the stability of neither the political nor the economic reform lasted all that long. When the 2nd Tetrarchy inevitably broke up, it brought about the decades of strife, first with Maxentius and then the Licinii, that Constantine I endured, finally becoming the unchallenged sole ruler of the empire in 324.

The most common of the many reverses the follis had over the years while it was declining in size (and buying power, as well, presumably) from the large, silvered "Æ 1" to its final issues c. 320, by which time it had shrunk to approximately the size and weight of a New Penny, was GENIO POPVLI ROMANI - or the Genius of the Roman People with the personification of Genius standing left, generally holding or pouring a libation from a patera.

That's what we have here - the reverse, at any rate, is easily ID'd as a Genio Populi Romani type. The obverse and the question of who's on it gave me a bit more trouble. The seemingly clear letters didn't easily fall into line with any of the names I generally associate with the early, large GPR folles - the members of the 1st tetrarchy and the 8 or 10 successors who variously were part of the 2nd tetrarchy, etc.- at first. Then, when I realized what looks like an "X" at about 11:00 was in fact an "A" with an uncharacteristically widely separated top ("A's" generally didn't meet at the top in this era, but this is really unusually widely spaced) it became more obvious that MAXIMIANVS was the name involved. Then we have the issue of what is following the name - generally, and most usually, it would be P F AVG - but it's obviously not. In fact, the first letter after the final "S" in Maximianus is clearly an "N" - and that's uncharacteristically clear for this piece, so it must be a NOB CAES type ending - the title of a Caesar. Maximian, Diocletian's colleague Augustus in the 1st tetrarchy was never a Caesar, however.
So, we must have a coin of the only other person who ever used the name MAXIMIANVS - a Caesar in the 1st, then Augustus in the 2nd tetrarchy, who is more commonly called "Galerius". He was Caesar from 293 to 305 when he was elevated to Augustus on the abdication of Diocletian and his namesake Maximian.

Looking more closely at the end of the obverse legend, we see it really can't be NOB CAES, however. It turns out to be an unusual NOBIL C and this plus the fact that there is no exergual mint mark on the reverse, instead of making it impossible to tell the mint, actually clearly tells us which mint produced it - the mint that didn't use an exergual mint mark for a while, but did use the unusual NOBIL C title - London.

So this piece is a product of the mint of London, a mint which has not been well represented among the pieces you've sent me for ID's. You have an unusual "homeland" variety of the follis type, "GPR", which is so common across the rest of the Empire with exergual mint marks and/or field marks. The reference is RIC VI London # 33 and it dates to 303-305 AD.

1766 Dutch Provinces Coin	1772 dated coin weight - these are pennyweights, abbreviated Dwt and grains. 2 pennyweight and 18 grains coin weight.

1464 Gold Ryal Coin Weight	Medieval book clasp.

	1.1922 George V milled silver sixpence 2.1839 Victoria milled silver 6 pence 3. 17th C William III milled silver shilling - worn 4.17th C William III milled silver shilling - worn 5.1772 dated coin weight - these are penny weights, abbreviated Dwt and grains 2 penny weight and 18 grains coin weight 6.4thC Roman bronze coin - illegible 7.4thC Roman bronze coin - illegible 8. 303-305AD Augustus Roman bronze Genio Populi Romani type London mint 9.Georgian silver thimble 10. 1603 James1st hammered copper farthing 11.15thC lead token - type 2 12.Post medieval lead bale seal 13. 2ndC Roman bronze coin - illegible 14.Post medieval lead bale seal 15.1766 Dutch provinces coin 16.1464 gold Ryal coin weight 17. Georgian lead tobacco jar lid handle 18. Post medieval lead bale seal 19. 2 Georgian thimbles 20. Printing press space blocks

	1. 16thCTudor buttons 2. 15 18thto 20thC copper coins 14. 19th C buckle 15. Georgian draw handle 16. 20th C harness buckle 17. Post medieval harness ring 18. Georgian hook

	1. Georgian keyhole cover Crown GR 2. Georgian padlock 3. WWII AA flack shell fragment 4. 7nails/tacks 7. 15thC lead token 8. Lead musket ball 9. Spoon handle 10. Georgian mount 11.2 18th to 20th C copper coins 13. Toy gun fragment 14. Post medieval lead hanging wright 16. 2 Georgian buckle fragments 17. Printing press space block 18. Georgian window catch 20. Lead washer

	1. Victorian hook 2. Victorian mount 3. Georgian draw pull support 8.Georgian hook 10. Roman bronze pot foot 11. 20thc harness buckle 13.Georgian lead tobacco jar lid handle 14. Lead bullet 15. Georgian horse bell fragment 17. 2 copper discs 19. Post medieval lead cloth seal 20.4thC Roman bronze coin - illegible

	63 Post Tudor Buttons.

	50 Post Tudor Pottery Shards.

	41 Post Tudor Pottery Shards.

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