Carausius. Romano-British Emperor, AD 286-293. Antoninianus (19mm, 3.81 g, 6h). ‘C’ mint (?). IMP C M CARAVSIVS P F AVG, radiate and draped bust right / MONIT[A AVG] [sic], Moneta, draped, standing left, holding scales in extended right hand and cornucopia in left; Q(L inverted) (?) or (C retrograde) (?). RIC V.5 (2447) note (forthcoming; this coin, illustrated); RIC V 292 (this coin cited; cites Webb; attributed to the ‘C’ mint); P. Webb, “The Reign and Coinage of Carausius” in NC 1907, 343 (this coin cited; cites Selborne; attributed to the ‘C’ mint); CHRB III, 20305 corr. (mint mark and rev. legend; attributed to the uncertain mint) = Lord Selborne, “On a Hoard of Roman Coins Found at Blackmoor, Hants,” in NC 1877, p. 144, 80 (this coin; attributed to the London mint). Dark brown patina. VF. Unique. The only example noted in RIC V.5. Published first in the 1877 NC and subsequently in: NC 1907, RIC V 1933, CHRB III 1982, and in the forthcoming RIC V.5.

Ex Dr. Malcolm Lyne Collection, purchased from Spink, 15 October 2003; Blackmoor, Selborne, October 1873 Hoard (IRBCH 914).

This unique antoninianus of Carausius has caused catalogers over the last 150 years some difficulty to classify appropriately due to its enigmatic mint mark. From the desirable 1873 Blackmoor Hoard, which contained 545 coins of Carausius, this coin was among the few selected by Lord Selborne for publication in his NC 1877 catalog due to its interesting properties. Namely, among the criteria, that the type was unpublished in the then recently released Volume VII of Cohen’s Monnaies Romaine (1868). Cataloged on page 144 of Selborne’s article as no. 80, Selborne read the mint mark as QL and consequently attributed the coin to the London mint. However, while a mint mark is present on the coin, it is difficult to read fully and appears most closely to an OΓ insofar as it is intelligible. The ‘O’ appears fully enclosed and thus can only read ‘O’ or ‘Q’ if the serif of the ‘Q’ is off flan. Selborne elected to read the second letter as an inverted ‘L’.

The coin, appearing next in Percy Webb’s comprehensive Carausius catalog for the 1907 NC, is cataloged on page 200 as no. 343. There, without further explanation, Webb placed the coin with the ‘C’ mint and simply cited Selborne while additionally providing the coin’s diameter. Webb repeated this cataloging for his portion of the old RIC V.2 in 1933. There Webb cites the coin on page 489 as no. 292 and refers readers back to his 1907 catalog.

The coin next appears in Roger Bland’s 1982 CHRB III. Norman Shiel provided the cataloging for the Carausius and Allectus portion of the catalog and he cataloged the coin on page 71 as no. 20305 alongside the “unmarked series,” which he speculates could be the earliest London mint issues in footnote 236 on page 71. However, while providing the full legends, bust type, diameter, weight, and die axis for the coin, he appears to have missed the letters in the exergue as he makes no mention of them. He places the coin next to 20305A which is Selborne’s Blackmoor Hoard no. 79 which features the same reverse legend error of MONITA for MONETA as the present coin. However, Shiel corrects Selborne and Webb (no. 866 in RIC V.2) by deleting the second ‘G’ out of the reverse legend for that coin. Since that coin does belong to the unmarked series, this makes logical sense, however, Shiel does err in failing to note the exergue letters on the present specimen.

Consequently, this very coin has been cataloged at three different mints by the respective authors of the reference material and authorities on the subject: Selborne at London, Webb at the ‘C’ mint, and Shiel at the unmarked British mint. This last attribution can be safely corrected without controversy. However, where to catalog the coin today is somewhat a matter of perspective. Bringing the coin up to date, Dr. Moorhead has elected to footnote the coin next to the retrograde ‘C’ mint MONETA issues in the forthcoming RIC V.5. Though Dr. Moorhead’s no. 2447 is in parentheses to denote that the coin is unclear.

While this specific coin has caused catalogers some consternation over the last century and a half, this phenomenon is simply reflective of the reality and challenges of cataloging the fascinating coinage of the British usurper Carausius as a whole. While Carausius’ intricate and complex monetary policy is much better understood now than it was in the latter half of the 19th century, there are simply going to be some coins that are more difficult to attribute with high confidence. Dr. Moorhead’s Roman Imperial Coinage V.5 will provide a wealth of information on the subject and is highly anticipated. As for this coin, it features an outstanding pedigree to 1873, has been published five times, is illustrated in the forthcoming RIC V.5, and is unique with this reverse legend error, obverse legend, and bust type paired together.

The final winners of all Triton XXVIII lots will be determined at the live public sale that will be held on 14-15 January 2025.

Triton XXVIII – Session Three – Lot 558–829 will be held Wednesday morning, 15 January 2025 beginning at 9:00 AM ET.

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