Galerius as caesar | AD 308-309 | Follis, 24 mm, 6.59g
Galerius as caesar | AD 308-309 | Follis, 24 mm, 6.59g
Obverse: GAL VAL MAXIMIANUS NOB CAES, laureate head right
Reverse: GENIO CAESARIS, Genius Standing left, holding patera and cornucopia
S K-P/ALE in exergue (Alexandria mint)
RIC 99a.
Nice obverse. Where did you get it?
To me it looks a little bit like a cast copy, but it's always hard to tell from a picture and if you know it's from a legit source I am sure it's fine.
Thanks! Got it from my usual retailer who sources off auctions from reputable origin (roma, savoca, leu, ...) and he has a lifetime guarantee on authenticity, so I'm not worried at all. He's also a licenced numismatist and never steered me wrong before.
Part of the "cast copy" effect is from the surface damage, but also from the somewhat unusual relief of the strike. Most folles are thinner and not nearly as deeply struck. Might just have been a brand new die.
Alright, sounds fine then :) I know many authentic coins can seem cast, especially on pictures. When you have them in hand they usually seem fine.
That aside, I've always really liked tetrarchy-coins. There's just something about the regularity of portraits and the style which speaks to me, and underlines that the Tetrarchy was a definite and important break from the chaos of the 3rd century.