One more, for Licinius

I also picked up a bronze follis of Licinius, with the below text.

Obv: IMP C VAL LIC LICINIVS PF AVG
Rev: IOVI CONSERVATORI SNN N Lamba

I'm trying to decipher the SNN and N-Lamba (upside-down "L"). The
only websites I can find with the above text are in Spanish (I guess).
It looks like the SNN and N-Lamba are mint marks that refer to
Thessalonica, (Salonicco/Greece), but I'm not sure.

Any help? Thanks.



********************************
Curtis Hoffmann
Three Steps Over the Edge
http://home.austin.rr.com/tsote/index.html
********************************

Curtis wrote:

"I also picked up a bronze follis of Licinius, with the below text.

Obv: IMP C VAL LIC LICINIVS PF AVG
Rev: IOVI CONSERVATORI SNN N Lamba

I'm trying to decipher the SNN and N-Lamba (upside-down "L"). The only
websites I can find with the above text are in Spanish (I guess). It looks
like the SNN and N-Lamba are mint marks that refer to
Thessalonica, (Salonicco/Greece), but I'm not sure."


Could the SNN actually be SMN for Nicomedia?


Anka Z
Co-president of the once thriving, but now defunct, Tommy John Fan Club.
Go, Lake County Captains!

On 03 Jul 2003 04:05:25 GMT, (Ankaaz) wrote:

Curtis wrote:

"I also picked up a bronze follis of Licinius, with the below text.

Obv: IMP C VAL LIC LICINIVS PF AVG
Rev: IOVI CONSERVATORI SNN N Lamba

I'm trying to decipher the SNN and N-Lamba (upside-down "L"). The only
websites I can find with the above text are in Spanish (I guess). It looks
like the SNN and N-Lamba are mint marks that refer to
Thessalonica, (Salonicco/Greece), but I'm not sure."


Could the SNN actually be SMN for Nicomedia?

Truthfully, I can't tell. It's quite possible that it's SMN - the
middle letter looks like it could be either an N or an M.


********************************
Curtis Hoffmann
Three Steps Over the Edge
http://home.austin.rr.com/tsote/index.html
********************************

Curtis wrote:

"I also picked up a bronze follis of Licinius, with the below text.

Obv: IMP C VAL LIC LICINIVS PF AVG
Rev: IOVI CONSERVATORI SNN N Lamba

I'm trying to decipher the SNN and N-Lamba (upside-down "L"). The only
websites I can find with the above text are in Spanish (I guess). It looks like
the SNN and N-Lamba are mint marks that refer to
Thessalonica, (Salonicco/Greece), but I'm not sure."


The upside-down "L" is not a lambda, but a gamma. Eastern mints used Greek
letters to designate officinae within mints, so gamma, being the third letter
of the Greek alphabet, would suggest that the coin was minted in the third
officina (workshop) of the mint.

HTH


Anka Z
Co-president of the once thriving, but now defunct, Tommy John Fan Club.
Go, Lake County Captains!

Curtis wrote:

"Truthfully, I can't tell. It's quite possible that it's SMN - the middle
letter looks like it could be either an N or an M."


If it is SMN, this would jibe with the use of the Greek letter gamma
designating an eastern workshop. Nicomedia is modern Izmit, Turkey.




Anka Z
Co-president of the once thriving, but now defunct, Tommy John Fan Club.
Go, Lake County Captains!

In article , Curtis Hoffmann wrote:

I also picked up a bronze follis of Licinius, with the below text.

Obv: IMP C VAL LIC LICINIVS PF AVG
Rev: IOVI CONSERVATORI SNN N Lamba

I'm trying to decipher the SNN and N-Lamba (upside-down "L"). The
only websites I can find with the above text are in Spanish (I guess).
It looks like the SNN and N-Lamba are mint marks that refer to
Thessalonica, (Salonicco/Greece), but I'm not sure.

Any help? Thanks.

The only way to tell with the later issues is to look it up
in RIC (Roman Imperial Coinage). A better University library
might have the ten-volume set. Unfortunately, the last few
volumes take some getting used to to figure out the exact
mint and variety you have. And take the rarity indication (if
you get that far) with a grain of salt.

Brad
http://www.blarg.net/~brad/coins.htm