AEL VERI - NA AVG

Bust of Aelia Verina to the right, draped, wearing a diadem of pearls, a necklace of pearls and long earrings. Above, the hand of God crowning her.

VICTORI - A AVGGG

Victory standing left, holding a long cross decorated with jewels, behind her on the right, a star.

Picture from a coin sold by Numismatica Ars Classica, link to the sale: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=454048, link to their website: http://www.arsclassicacoins.com/. It is for the moment, the only coin that I saw, with the letters V having a shape of V. The variants below list the forms of V in or other forms explained below.

The style of the coin is quite unusual if we take into account all the mintage. The portrait is wide and  could be latish, so in the second striking period.This legend with V, is attributed by the RIC to the first striking period , therefore from 462 to 466. In my opinion, according to my research, forms V or Y are, most of the time, caused by bad engraving. A tool with a rather large and flat end probably used to write the letters. The V with a point at their base, so of form Y, are therefore classified in the V. Only the letters showing a base on the right side of the V are considered as . See the table above. One can therefore ask the question, did the RIC correctly evaluate the forms of the letters? It took me a close examination and zoom or magnifier too, to conclude that there are 2 distinct forms: The V and the  so that are the examples (2) and (3) of the table at the beginning of the page. Those two have a horizontal line and a "right leg" going down lower. The other forms, as I pointed out, are V inscribed differently.

The weights and diameters are an average of known copies, all very close to these figures.

AEL ERI - NA AVG

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Coin sold by Jean Elsen & ses Fils S.A., Auction 128, lot 506, 12.03.2016, link to the sale: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=4172751, link to their website: http://www.elsen.eu/.

Weight and diameter as for the AYC # 1, ie an average of known copies, all very close to these figures.

AEL ERI - NA AG

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The weights and diameters, as for the AYC # 1, are an average of known copies, all very close to these figures. Read comments of AYC # 1 and AYC # 1 var 3 to understand the classification of legends and analysis of letters V or . One coin sold by Sincona AG, link to the sale: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=3833525.

AEL ERI - NA AVG

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'' '' officina letter after the legend

As I said in the AYC # 1, the RIC listed legends with variants V, Y etc ... without knowing which copies were used for the analysis of the letters. The legends noted were they actually with V? Still, the officina letter A has a Y shape, let's be clear:  a V with a wide base. As on this example used as illustration: coin sold by Numismatica Ars Classica, auction 51, lot 457, 05/03/2009, link to the sale: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=584352, link to their website: http://www.arsclassicacoins.com/. It is clear that the officina letter A, has the same shape as the Y, but upside down. Anyway, the letters A on all types, have the same form as the Y (which I describe as V with wide base).

Again, same weight and average diameters as for other coins. The officina letter is noted here in the field on the right, it is in fact on the right, at the bottom of the legend, in the same direction as the legend. Look to the coin linked to see.

AEL ERI - NA AVG

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anepigraph

Cross within decorate wreath.

I discovered this variant so far unlisted, with hand of God crowning above the bust. All the listed coins were without the hand of God crowning. The RIC X gives the type of bust F3 for all tremissis of this type. So, a bust diademed and draped right, with jewelry at the top of the diadem. The bust Fh3, which is therefore similar but with the hand of God crowning, was unknown for tremissis, before I discovered. This bust Fh3 is the only bust present on Solidi type VICTORI - A AVGGG. This detail is small and unnoticed in big sales. We can therefore wonder if the creators of RIC X have seen these coins or if they missed this detail. It is indeed, easy to confuse the hand with the I of VERINA. I list at the moment, a single obverse die associated with two different reverse dies for the only two coins seen with God's crowning hand. The legend is noted with the V in the form  but the real form is: inverted. Weight and diameter being an average: both copies have a weight of 1.51 grs and 1.47 grs. This coin, following the same type of bust as the Solidi, is therefore classified as the main type. The type without the hand will be its variant, even if it is the most common. The illustration comes from a coin sold by Numismatica Ars Classica, auction 92, lot 816, link to the sale: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=3108290, link to their website: http://www.arsclassicacoins.com/.

AEL VERI - NA AVG

'' '' without hand of God crowning Aelia Verina.

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Weight and average diameter, as for other coins with this reverse. Very close to 1.50 grs and 14.00 mm. Only one copy seen with this legend (normal V). The illustration comes from a coin sold by Numismatica Ars Classica, auction 75, lot 393, 18/11/2013, link to the sale: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=1757606, link to their website: http://www.arsclassicacoins.com/.

For the letter ''V'', we can think of a normal ''V'', with a die break (horizontal line embossed on top) or a ''P''. For me, it seems that the ''P'' described by professionals are '''' whose two branches join after a break of the die or bad engraving. All copies showing a "P" shape have the horizontal top line, with a hole in the middle. The two branches therefore have a separation. This shows that it is a '''' as mentioned in the RIC. However, I note that either the coins have a ''V'' whose branches meet as explained, or they are '''', therefore with a lower branch. So two different letters. It is complicated to differentiate between these two letters with the style, the bad technique of engraving, wear or die break ... to conclude the exact form of a letter is quite subjective. I therefore propose to classify the form ''V'' when:

• The bottom of the letter corresponds to the usual V form.
• No lower branch, so shape .
• The line joining the two branches at the top is interrupted.

For form '''' or '''':

• A branch is lower.
• The general form corresponds to the or form.
• The line joining the two branches at the top is interrupted.

The coin described here is therefore with a ''V'' because it has the 3 characteristics. This coin: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=713502, classified as legend ''d'', (because of the lower left leg) presents a V of AVG with a shape resembling except that the departure of the letter is indeed like a V. The top of the letter's legs is wide. The separation between the two legs at the top is fine, because of this width of the tips. So we can see how a V can look like a or and that it is necessary to follow the points listed above to define the exact letter.

AEL ERI - NA AVG

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Same comment on weight and diameter as on all other Tremissis.

AEL ERI - NA AVG

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Same comment on weight and diameter as on all other Tremissis.

AEL VER - INA AVG

Bust of Aelia Verina to the right, draped, wearing a diadem of pearls, a necklace of pearls and long earrings.

SALVS REI - PVBLICAE

Victory seated on the right, inscribing a christogram on a shield.

Average weight and diameter on the copies seen.

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SALVS RE - I - PVBLICAE

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same average weight and diameter as on AYC #3. Legend can be read: SALVS RE - IPVBLICAE, see this coin here: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=328526. Slight space between I and P which makes me write this legend SALVS RE - I - PVBLICAE.

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SALVS RE - PVBLICAE

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Same average weight and diameter as on AYC #3 and AYC #3 var.

The illustration of the portrait is a restoration that I made from a coin sold by Classical Numismatic Group, auction 96, lot 943, 14/05/2014, link to the sale and their website: https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=256813.