6-2237

RIC VI, ANTIOCHIA [after 59b], DIOCLETIAN, UNLISTED ISSUE [VICTORIA ROMANORVM] [FORGERY]

  

OBVERSE

IMPDIOCLETIANVSPFAVG [IMP DIOCLETIANVS P F AVG]; head r., laur.

REVERSE

VICTORIA-ROMANORVM [VICTORIA ROMANORVM]; Emperor in military dress stg. facing, head turned to r., holding standard in r. hand, and Victory holding wreath and palm-branch stg. on globe in l. ANTΓ in exergue.

NOT IN RIC

UNLISTED ISSUE. Obverse RIC VI CARTHAGO 31a with reverse RIC VIII ANTIOCH 229 minted sixty years later for Jovian. This coin is formally unlisted in RIC but in fact belongs to the group of rather deceptive forgeries. Apparently this time counterfeiter made a mistake and mixed up his dies.

See six examples of RIC VI CARTHAGO 31a from the same obverse die:
- Triskeles (auction 20, lot 661, 11.95 g, 27 mm);
- CNG (eAuction 321, lot 690, 13.09 g, 28 mm);
- Münzkabinett der Universität Göttingen (no. BA-0282, 7.131 g, 26.27);
- eBay (sold as replica, December 2020, 10.36 g);
- VCoins (CIVITAS Galleries) (8.99 g, 27 mm);
- Artemide Aste (e-Live auction 23, lot 717, 8.48 g, 26 mm).

One example imitating Syrian tetradrachm from the same obverse die:
- eBay (FAC; posted by Din X).

And eight examples of RIC VIII ANTIOCH 229 from the same reverse die:
- Sincona (auction 10, lot 325, 9.13 g);
- InAsta (E-Live auction 99, lot 551, 9.91 g);
- Vico (auction 142, lot 267);
- Alpha Auctions (auction 7, lot 294, 10.31 g);
- eBay (from DIn X collection);
- Stephen Album Rare Coins (online auction 48, lot 125, 10.09 g;
- Stephen Album Rare Coins (auction 48, 1641, lot 1641, 11.35 g, withdrawn);
- Stephen Album Rare Coins (auction 48, 1641, lot 1642, 10.78 g, withdrawn).

Certainly these coins are also fakes [Thanks to the collaboration of Janusz Kamiński, Din X and six2ten].

See also:
ANTIOCHIA [after 54a], DIOCLETIAN, UNLISTED OBVERSE LEGEND [FORGERY]
ALEXANDRIA [after 32a], DIOCLETIAN, UNLISTED OBVERSE LEGEND [FORGERY]
ALEXANDRIA [before 124], MAXIMINUS, UNLISTED OBVERSE LEGEND [FORGERY]

NOTES

Weight 14.80 g; diameter 28 mm. Sold on Bertolami Fine Art web auction 92 (lot 1520) in October 2020 for GBP 460; sold on Bertolami Fine Art E-Auction 105 (lot 2614) in October 2021 for EUR 180.

Other specimens:

- from VCoins (London Ancient Coins); withdrawn; weight 13.41 g; diameter 27.5 mm [click for picture];

- from Coryssa database (ID 175626); sold on eBay in October 2003 for GBP 131; rev. from the same die but note different obv. with legend IMP C DIOCLETIANVS P F AVG; diameter 28 mm [click for picture].


NOT IN RIC © 2004 Lech Stępniewski