Corpus of aurei of Carausius

The gold coins of Carausius are extremely rare with only little over a couple of dozen genuine examples being recorded. The recent appearance of a fake aureus and the discovery of two more genuine coins has persuaded me to put together this page illustrating all the examples known to me. Where weights are known for the illustrated specimens these too are noted.

H numbers refer to H Huvelin, ‘Monnayage d’or de Carausius’, Revue Numismatique 1985, pp. 109-119.

LONDON MINT

 


 


CARAVSIVS PF AVG
Laureate, cuirassed bust right
CONSERVAT AVG -/-//ML
Jupiter standing left holding thunderbolt & sceptre; eagle at foot
RIC 1, H 16
4.31 grammes
British Museum collection, acquired 1799.

CARAVSIVS PF AVG
Laureate, cuirassed bust right
CONSERVATORI AVGGG -/-//ML
Hercules standing right in lion’s skin, holding a bow and resting on club
RIC 2; H 18
4.27 grammes
British Museum collection, acquired 1864, ex Wigan bequest. Found at Newbury.

 


 


CARAVSIVS PF AVG
Laureate, cuirassed bust right
CONSERVATORI AVGGG -/-//ML
Hercules standing right in lion’s skin, holding a bow and resting on club
RIC 2; H 17
Hunterian museum, Glasgow.

VIRTVS CARAVSI
Helmeted, cuirassed bust left
ORIES AVG (sic)
Sol standing left holding globe and whip; captive at feet
RIC -; H 11
4.29 grammes
Ex Calico, February 2012, lot 312; Sotheby’s Zurich, October 1993, lot 122; NFA XXX, lot 299; Bunker Hunt sale, 4th December 1990, lot 98; NFA IV 1979, lot 911; B A Seaby February 1978; found in France before 1915.

 


 


VIRTVS CARAVSI
Helmeted, cuirassed bust left
PAX AVG
Pax standing left holding olive branch and vertical sceptre
RIC -; H –
4.65 grammes
British Museum collection, acquired 2009, ex Ashbourne (Derbyshire) find 2007

IMP CARAVSIVS PF AVG
Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
PAX AVG -/-//VOT V
Pax standing left holding olive branch and vertical or transverse sceptre
RIC 3 corr; H 14
4.14 grammes
Ex Cripps collection; found at Cirencester before 1901. Original mishapen and the illustration is from a flattened electrotype.

 


 


IMP C CARAVSIVS PF AVG
Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
PAX AVG -/-//MVLT X
Pax standing left holding olive branch and vertical sceptre
RIC 4 corr; H 15
4.52 grammes
Ex Evans collection, found near Neath Abbey, according to NC 1886, p 273, many years previously.

IMP CARAVSIVS PF AVG
Laureate, draped or draped and cuirassed bust right
PAX CARAVSI AVG
Pax standing left holding olive branch and vertical or transverse sceptre
RIC 5; H 12
4.33 grammes
Ex Evans and Lockett collections; found at Silchester in 1896. The coin was in the Evans sale, Lucerne III, lot 166, where it was bought by a London dealer (see SCMB 1954, p 283 enquiring about the current whereabouts of the coin).

 


 

 

 Do not have an image of this coin, does it really exist?

IMP CARAVSIVS PF AVG
Laureate, draped or draped and cuirassed bust right
PAX CARAVSI AVG
Pax standing left holding olive branch and vertical or transverse sceptre
RIC 5; H 13
4.20 grammes (H 13)
Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 46, 4th Feb 2008, lot 684; Seaby list December 1976, 459. Found in Portswood in 1975.

CARAVSIVS PF AVG
Laureate, cuirassed bust right
SALVS AVGG (sic)
Salus standing left feeding serpent in arms
RIC 6

 


 

 

Do not have an image of this coin, does it really exist?

CARAVSIVS PF AVG
Laureate, cuirassed bust right
SALVS AVGGG -/-//ML
Salus standing right feeding serpent in arms
RIC -; H19
4.33 grammes
ANS collection; ex Arras hoard, 1922

IMP C CARAVSIVS PF AVG
Laureate, draped bust right
LEG IIII FEL -/-//RSR
Lion walking right with thunderbolt in mouth
RIC 533

 


 

VIRTVS CARAVSI
Radiate, helmeted, cuirassed bust left holding spear and shield
ROMANO RENOVA -/-//RSR
She wolf standing right suckling Romulus and Remus
RIC 534; H 10
4.33 grammes (H 10)
Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris; ex Rollin & Feuardent, 1847; ex Pembroke collection; found prior to 1718.

 

ROUEN MINT

 


 


IMP CARAVSIVS AVG
Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
CONCORDIA MILITV
Concordia standing left holding two standards
RIC 621 corr; H 1
4.80 grammes
Ex Bourgey December 1978, no. 163. This coin was sold by NAC (sale 59, April 2011, sale price 230,000 ChF). At that sale the provenance was cited as Hirsch 1911, Baron 1246 and Ars Classica 18 (1938) sales, plus Shiel (1977), p.148, 2.

IMP CARAVSIVS AVG
Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
CONCORDIA MILITV
Concordia standing left holding two standards
RIC 621 corr; H 2
4.25 grammes
Ex Trau sale, 1935, no.3482

 

 

Do not have an image of this coin, does it really exist?

 


IMP C CARAVSIVS PF AVG
Laureate, cuirassed bust right
CONCORDIA MILITVM
Emperor standing right clasping hand of Concordia standing left
RIC 622

IMP C CARAVSIVS PF AVG
Laureate, cuirassed bust left in imperial mantle
CONCORDIA MILITVM
Emperor standing right clasping hand of Concordia standing left
RIC 623; H 6
3.61 grammes
Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris; ex Rollin & Feuardent, December 1846; possibly found in the UK.

 


 


IMP C CARAVSIVS PF AVG
Laureate, cuirassed bust left in imperial mantle
CONCORDIA MILITVM
Emperor standing right clasping hand of Concordia standing left
RIC 623; H 7
4.77 grammes
Ex Baldwins; found at Wroxeter

IMP CARAVSIVS AVG
Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
CONCORDIA MILITVM
Emperor standing right clasping hand of Concordia standing left
RIC 624 corr; H 3
4.54 grammes
British Museum collection, acquired 1963. BM Quarterly 27, 1963-4 cites the provenance of this coin as Hess-Leu (ESR collection) 23 March 1961, lot 624; Jameson ii, 326; Hirsch (Consul Weber) 10 May 1910, lot 2491; Rollin & Feuardant (Ponton d’Amecourt collection), 25 April 1887, lot 630.

 


 


IMP CARAVSIVS AVG
Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
CONCORDIA MILITVM
Emperor standing right clasping hand of Concordia standing left
RIC 624 corr; H 4
4.58 grammes
Berlin collection, described by Stukeley in 1759

IMP CARAVSIVS AVG
Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
CONCORDIA MILITVM
Emperor standing right clasping hand of Concordia standing left
RIC 624 corr; H –
4.70 grammes
2007 find, along with the gold helmeted PAX AVG.

 


 


IMP CARAVSIVS AVG
Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
CONCORDIA MILITVM
Emperor standing right clasping hand of Concordia standing left
RIC 624 corr; H 5
4.86 grammes
Ex Evans sale, 1934, lot 1836; current location not known

IMP C CARAVSIVS AV
Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
LAETITIA IVI AVG NOS C
Galley right
RIC -; H 8
4.61 grammes

 


 

IMP C CARAVSIVS AV
Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
OPES IVI AVG
Figure (Abundantia?) standing left holding bunch of grapes(?) and cornucopia
RIC -; H9
4.55 grammes
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford; ex Trau sale, 1935, lot 3483, ex Neligan collection 1882; found at Chester

 

“THREE EMPERORS” COINS OF THE LEGITIMATE EMPERORS

(all London mint)

 


 


MAXIMIANVS PF AVG
Laureate bust left
COMES AVGGG -/-//ML
Virtus standing right holding vertical spear and shield
RIC -; H 20
5.60 grammes
ANS collection; ex Arras hoard, 1922

MAXIMIANVS PF AVG
Laureate, cuirassed bust right
SALVS AVGGG -/-//ML
Salus standing right feeding serpent in arms
RIC 32; H 21
4.31 grammes
British Museum

 


 


MAXIMIANVS PF AVG
Laureate, cuirassed bust right
SALVS AVGGG -/-//ML
Salus standing right feeding serpent in arms
RIC 32; H 22
4.27 grammes
British Museum collection

MAXIMIANVS PF AVG
Laureate, cuirassed bust right
SALVS AVGGG -/-//ML
Salus standing right feeding serpent in arms
RIC 32; H 23
3.95 grammes
Current location not known

 

 

Do not have an image of this coin.

 

 

 

DIOCLETIANVS PF AVG
Laureate, cuirassed bust right
SECVRITAS AVGGG -/-//ML
Securitas standing facing, leaning on column, head right, right hand raised to head, left hand on hip
RIC -; H –

Current location not known