Honorius AE Nummus Antioch AD 408-423

 

Obverse: DN HONORI-VS P F AVG, pearl diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right, * behind

Reverse: GLORIA RO-MANORVM, Honorius and Theodosius II in military dress, standing facing one another, spears in outer hand, resting inner hand on shields

Mintmark ANTA

RIC X Theodosius II (East) 416

 

**EXTREMELY RARE FROM ANTIOCH, ONLY KNOWN EXAMPLE**

Research shows that this type does indeed exist due to it having a RIC number, however no examples are currently available online, neither in OCRE or auction archives; usually, even when OCRE and ACSearch show zero examples, Nummus-Bible will show at least two or three specimens, but with this coin that is NOT the case; as of the time of this listing, this appears to be the ONLY known example of this reverse type for Honorius from Antioch

Minted after the death of Arcadius, this type usually shows Theodosius smaller than Honorius, but our example has them the same size, possibly indicating it was struck later, c.AD 420 or thereabout; issues with Arcadius, Honorius and Theodosius II are extremely common, as is this reverse type when issued from other mints, however these usually show the two Augusti holding a globe between them instead of showing their hands resting on a shield

It can be difficult to assign a price to a coin that is indeed rare, but at the same time is known from other mints; as the appraisers on shows such as Antiques Roadshow will tell people, rarity can be both good and bad, as if an item is so rare as to be the only known example, how does on assign a value? As this is a very common type, the rarity stems from the mint at which it was issued, in this case Antioch, which was under the authority of Theodosius, although technically speaking, Honorius was the 'senior' Augustus




All coins are authentic and from my own personal collection. If you have any questions please feel free to ask.

Over the coming weeks I will be adding more fixed price listings of Late Roman Bronze Coins so please check back with me.

If there is any specific type you are looking for let me know. I have an extensive Late Antique collection with AE and some AR issues dating from the mid 3rd Century AD to the 8th Century AD

I strive to make accurate impressions of the coins I list, thus my listings tend to have a multitude of photos, taken under different light sources and from different angles, as there is nothing worse (in my opinion) than purchasing a coin and having it arrive looking nothing like the photo!

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