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Quintillus Billon Antoniniaus (2.68g, 17.5mm, 12h). Rome mint, 270 CE.
Obverse: IMP C M AVR QVINTILLVS AVG. Radiate and draped bust right.
Reverse: CONCORDIA AVG / Δ to right. Concordia standing left, sacrificing over altar & holding double cornucopiae.
Reference: RIC 13; Cohen 17.
Provenance: Ex-Ancient & Medieval Coins Canada Auction 2 (9 Nov 2019), Lot 210, from the “Orfew”/Andrew Short Collection; Naville Numismatics Auction 35 (London, Online, 29 Oct 2017), Lot 717, from the E.E. Clain-Stefanelli Collection (1914-2001; Curator, National Numismatic Collection, Smithsonian), incl. her hand-written tag w/ notes.
Numis./Hist. Notes: The brief reign of Quintillus lasted only weeks or months in 270 CE. That he produced coins at all – in fact, a considerable number of issues in AE, billon and gold, including those at Provincial mints – despite reigning for as little as a few weeks, provides strong evidence of how important coin production was to Emperors to quickly legitimize and publicize their rule, as well as evidence of how efficient the process was.
Provenance Notes: Elvira “E.E.” Clain-Stefanelli (her husband, Victor, also a numismatist, is known as “V.E.”) was a curator, then Executive Director of the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian, 1956-2001. She is known for bringing the national coin collection from provincial backwater to world-class status.
A famous numismatist, her obituary was published in 2001 in the Washington Post. Her wikipedia entry.
The Clain-Stefanelli Collection (begun by Vladimir in the 1930s, assembled together until his death, continued by Elvira until at least the early 1990s), was auctioned by Stack’s (“Demarete Collection”) and then Numismatica Ars Classica and their affiliated auctioneer, Naville Numismatics (London). Naville sold this coin to “Orfew” (online handle of collector subsequently named in CNG sales as the applied linguist Andrew Short); from there it was consigned to Ancient & Medical Coins Canada, from which it joined the Jackson-Jacobs Collection.
Album: All Coins
Categories: Roman Coins
Tags: #AE & Billon #Pedigreed #Rare #Roman #Showcase
