Watch List notes:

ROMAN COINS

Valentinian I, 364-375. 1½ Scripulum (Gold, 16mm, 1.75 g 6), Antioch, 364-367. VALENTIN - IANVS AVG Pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust of Valentinian to right. Rev. VICTORIA ROMANORVM / ANT Victory, seated to right on cuirass, inscribing VOT / V on oval shield supported by a winged genius standing to left. Cohen -. Depeyrot -. RIC -. Apparently unpublished and unknown, a coin of great interest. A splendid, sharp coin with an attractive portrait. Very slight traces of double-striking, otherwise, good extremely fine.

This must be part of the very first issue in the name of Valentinian I from Antioch, before the legends were standardized. The obverse legend, without DN, is only known from Antioch, and only for 1½ scripula, with the more usual reverse legend of VICTORIA AVGVSTORVM (as Cohen 47 and RIC 3a). This legend is paralleled by a comparable issue for Valens (RIC 3b - also without DN); that legend, however, was almost immediately replaced by a more standard one with DN (RIC 3c). As for the reverse legend, VICTORIA ROMANORVM, this is completely unexpected: it was very rarely used prior to this period, and afterwards, primarily in the 5th century for some solidi. The present coin must be viewed as a kind of donative, using special and unusual legends that would never be used again.