Tacitus. AD 275-276. Double Antoninianus (22.5mm, 4.19 g, 6h). Tripolis mint. 2nd emission, January-June AD 276. Good VF.

Electronic Auction 613
Lot: 783. Estimated: $ 100

Roman Imperial, Silver

Sold For $ 140. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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Tacitus. AD 275-276. Double Antoninianus (22.5mm, 4.19 g, 6h). Tripolis mint. 2nd emission, January-June AD 276. IMP C M CL TACITVS AVG, radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / CLEMENTIA TEMP•, Mars, in military dress, standing (or advancing) left, holding olive branch, spear, and shield; *|–//IA. RIC V Online 4114; RIC V 214; BN 1847. Fully silvered, encrustations. Good VF. Very rare.

The ‘XI’ and its counterpart 'IA' on the coinage of Tacitus appear to have signified a higher silver content than the usual issue of Antoniniani. The study by Esty, Equall, and Smith (“The Alloy of the ‘XI’ Coins of Tacitus,” in NC 1993) corroborates the earlier study by Callu, Brenot, and Barrandon (“Analyses de Séries Atypiques,” in QT 8) showing that, though the consistency of the latters' findings were not as universal, the series with this notation does exhibit a far higher silver content than the common ‘XXI’ marked coinage and represented an issue tariffed at a higher rate. Each coin "was analyzed for silver content by Electron Probe Micro Analysis (EPMA), Rutherford Backscattering Analysis (RBA), Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis (EDX), or two or more of these methods (p.201)." The silver content on these issues is between 8 and 10%. Thus, the designation of this denomination as a Double Antoninianus.

Closing Date and Time: 15 July 2026 at 14:20:40 ET.

All winning bids are subject to a 20% buyer’s fee.