Two interesting coin moulds of Aurelian

This week I attended, through the benefit of the internet, the annual Joseph Eckhel memorial lecture held by the Department of Numismatics and Monetary History in the University of Vienna. The speaker was Markus Peter who spoke on A Numismatic Parallel World: Imitation and Forgery in the Roman World.

In the lecture one part touched on the casting of Severan Roman denarii in the mid third century, presumably because they were circulating at a premium if the evidence of antoniniani overstruck on Severan coins during the reigns of Trajan Decius, Volusian etc is anything to go by.

The casting process has produced many remnant clay moulds across the empire and they were stacked to produce coins in bulk so have impressed designs on both faces on many pieces.

Corseul mould

One intriguing mould that I was already aware of from my studies combined an impression of a Rome mint denarius of Julia Domna on one side and an antoninianus of Aurelian from the Milan mint (emission 2 or 3, c.271-3 AD) on the other. This demonstrates that the manufacturing of these copies was continuing in the 270s and probably later. It was found in Corseul, Nantes, north-east France, and is deposited in the Nantes museum.

Newstead mould

A mould shown that I was not previously aware of. This mould was found at Newstead, Roxburghshire (Roman Trimontium) around 1940. On one side, an impression of a Rome denarius of Caracalla and on the other, again a reverse of an antoninianus of Aurelian from Milan. 

Newstead mould top, Corseul mould bottom

What is really curious is that although the overall impressed out line is a little different, the coin used to make the impression is struck from the same dies as the Corseul mould, and may even be the same coin if the irregularity in the edge in the 5 o’clock position, circled in red, is anything to go by.

Is this just coincidence or are we, perhaps, dealing with a more systematic, organized production of moulds? One should not then assume official sanction, even if the Newstead mould was found in an area of military occupation.

References

Aubin, G; “Les moules monetaires de Corseul (Cotes d’Armor) et la date de fabrication des faux deniers en Gaule”, Gallia 47, 1990, pp 257-63

Holmes, N M McQ, and Hunter, F; “Roman counterfeiters’ moulds from Scotland”, Proc Soc Antiq Scot 131, 2001, pp 167-76

Edmund Halley and the coins of Vaballathus

The 17th century saw a blossoming of learning. Unlike today the fields of interest were broad and people with an interest in physical science would also study natural sciences as well as history. The well to do would frequently embark on a grand tour of Europe and beyond to enhance their education. 

An example of this is Edmund Halley (1656-1742) best known today as an astronomer, mathematician and physicist. In 1691 he journeyed to the remains of Palmyra, located in modern Syria with three companions, Abednego Seller, Edward Bernard and Thomas Smith as part of a larger expedition led by William Halifax. It was at this time that Halley faced the animosity of the Astronomer Royal, John Flamsteed, and the Anglican Church questioned his religious views, largely on the grounds that he had doubted the Earth's age as given in the Bible.

He recorded his Palmyrene visit in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London in 1695, where he writes something on Vaballathus and the coins he produced. He wrote (sic),

“In this appears also the great Utility of Coins to illustrate Matters of History: for by them alone ‘tis made out there was such a Prince as Waballathus, Vopiscus singly mentioning him by the name Balbatus: And from the same Coins it appears, that Odenathus had the Title of Augustus four years and Waballathus six at least; and that the First Year of Aurelian was the fourth of Waballathus.”

Tetradrachm, Alexandria, Vaballathus 4/Aurelian 1, Milne 4303

Two combinations of Vaballathus and Aurelian tetradrachm years are recorded in RPC, Vaballathus 4/Aurelian 1, and Vaballathus 5/ Aurelian 2. The later sole coins of Vaballathus are only recorded as year 5, so it is unclear where Halley gets six years from.

Halley also cites the coins of Antioch of Roman type that pair the busts of Aurelian and Vaballathus, although he follows Jean Hardouin’s reading of his titles as VCRIMDOR (VICE CAESARIS RECTOR IMPERII ORIENTIS), instead of VCRIMDR (VIR CLARISSIMUS REX IMPERATOR DUX ROMANORUM).

Antoninianus, Antioch, officina 7, RIC (Aurelian 381)