The C mint of Carausius was responsible for a number of types of antoniniani where the bust of Carausius was presented left facing jugate with that of a youthful solar deity traditionally identified as Sol. It is apparent from the reverse marks that they were produce in more than one period.
Is Sol the bust behind that of Carausius? At the 2024 Britannia Nummaria conference I delivered a paper that pitched that another solar deity, Apollo, may be a plausible alternative.
Apollo, the youth with the long flowing hair, besides being associated with the Sun, and his sister Diana the Moon, was also a patron of sailors and navigators. Let us not forget the origins of Carausius as a gubernator and mariner. There is also Virgil's fourth eclogue. The same paragraph that has "redeunt Saturnia regna, iam nova progenies caelo demittitur alta", abbreviated to RSR and INPCDA on the coins and medals of Carausius, ends with "tuus iam regnat Apollo", your own Apollo is now king. On these coins we have, I suggest, Carausius in association with Apollo.
Over the years I've encountered a number of specimens of these types and these are recorded below.
-/-//MC (c.288-9 AD)
INVICTO ET CARAVSI AVG
FORTVNA
Fortuna seated left holding cornucopia
-/-//MC
Hansons, (Apr?) 2022, lot 182, Roma XXV, 23 Sep 2022, lot 1070
INVICTO ET CARAVSI AVG
FORTVNA
Fortuna seated left holding cornucopia
-/-//MC
Spink N.Circ 102 (Jul) no.3900, ex Albert Baldwin sale. Noted as C minmark in Spink publication, however it is the same reverse die as on the coin above that clearly shows MC in exergue. This coin CNG e571, lot 1141, 25 Sep 2024, ex Malcolm Lyne
INVICTO ET CARAVSI AVG
FORTVNA
Fortuna seated left holding cornucopia
-/-//MC
Ex eBay UK, currently in a private collection
FORTVNA
Fortuna seated left holding cornucopia
-/-//MC
CNG e575, lot 648 (Malcolm Lyne collection), ex Glendinnings, 20 April 2000, lot 149
FORTVNA
Fortuna seated left holding cornucopia
-/-//MC
Private collection
-/-//CXXI (c.289-90 AD)
SOLI ET CARAVSIO AVG
PAX AVG
Pax standing left holding branch and vertical sceptre
-/-//CXXI
BM 1989,614.1
IMP CARAVSIVS PF AVG
PAX AVG
Pax standing left holding branch and vertical sceptre
-/-//CXXI
BM 1853,0329.29
IMP CARAVSIVS PF AVG
PAX AVG
Pax standing left holding branch and vertical sceptre
-/-//CXXI
Ebay, February 2007
IMP CARAVSIVS PF AVG
PAX AVG
Pax standing left holding branch and vertical sceptre
-/-//CXXI
Hunter 109
IMP CARAVSIVS PF AVG
PAX AVGVSTI
Pax walking left holding branch and sceptre
-/-//CXXI
R Bourne collection; ex Vogelaar collection; Spink 8006, 26 Mar 2008, lot 1147; CNG 39, 28 Sep 1994
PAX AVGVSTI
Pax walking left holding branch and sceptre
-/-//CXXI
Detector find, PAS: LIN-E2E189
IMP CARAVSIVS PF AVG
PAX AVGVSTI
Pax walking left holding branch and sceptre
-/-//CXXI
Hunter collection, GLAHM:32112 HCC IV 110 (not illustrated); line drawing in Kennedy (1756)
IMP CARAVSIVS PF AVG
VIRTVS AVG
Mars stg right and leaning on shield
-/-//CXXI
Gorny & Mosch 62, 20 Apr 1993, lot609
IMP CARAVSIVS PF AVG
VIRTVS AVG
Mars stg right and leaning on shield
-/-//CXXI
BM 1992,0635.1
The online BM description of the reverse is VIRTVS AVGGG with a mintmark -/-//C. This cannot be the case as the obverse is a die duplicate of other CXXI coins that predate the three emperors issue.
S/C//C (c.291-2 AD)
IMP C CARAVSIVS PF AVG
PROVIDEN AVG
Providentia stg left holding baton and cornucopia, globe at feet
S/C//C
BM 1966,0607.1
IMP C CARAVSIVS PF AVG
PROVIDEN AVG
Providentia stg left holding baton and cornucopia, globe at feet
S/C//C
CNG XXX 11 June 1994 lot 424; Casey (1994), plate 5, no.2
IMP C CARAVSIVS PF AVG
PROVIDEN AVG
Providentia stg left holding baton and cornucopia, globe at feet
S/C//C
Lanz, 20 November 2000, lot473, also 25 May 2002, lot 830
IMP C CARAVSIVS PF AVG
PROVIDEN AVG
Providentia stg left holding baton and cornucopia, globe at feet
S/C//C
Hansons, (Apr?) 2022, lot 183, Roma XXV, 23 Sep 2022, lot 1067
IMP C CARAVSIVS PF AVG
PROVIDEN AVG
Providentia stg left holding baton and cornucopia, globe at feet
S/C//C
PAS: FASAM-F6656D; DNW, 14-15 Nov 2018, lot 1414
IMP C CARAVSIVS PF AVG
VIRTVS AVG
Mars advancing right holding spear and shield
S/C//C
BM 1863,0325.4
No mintmark, - /-//-
IMP CARAVSIVS PF AVG
MONETA AVG
MONETA standing left holding scales and cornucopia
Ashmolean HCR3667. Although unmarked on the reverse, the style of the obverse die is clearly that of the C mint
The British Museum Virtus coin, marked S/C//C, although being poorly preserved, is clearly recognisable from a couple of engravings in Maurice Johnson’s unpublished manuscript, Decennium Carausius et Allecti Impp. Britain (undated, early 18th century).
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