Mint Marks Codex
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Introduction
Roman mint marks began being used starting around the middle of the 3rd century A.D. as a way to control actions of the mints & the officials who oversaw them.
Mint marks are located on the reverse of the coin at the bottom in an area known as the ‘exergue’. The exergue is visually set off from the rest of the reverse design by a line. In some cases, part of the mint mark may even be found in the body of the reverse design or even on the obverse field.
- A letter P (Latin for money), M (Moneta) or SM (Sacra Moneta). Often these letters are omitted. In some mintmarks the abbreviated mint name is followed by PS (Pecunia Sacra). Mintmarks on gold coins often end with the letters OB (obryzium – refined or pure gold).
- Mint city abbreviation usually consisting of one to seven letters.
- Officina identification. Latin letter, a Greek letter or letters or a Roman numeral indicating the officina. Sometimes the officina is omitted and sometimes it precedes the mint name abbreviation.
- Series marks. Many mintmarks also include symbols such as dots, a crescent, or a branch, for example. These symbols probably indicate when the coin was struck and who was responsible for the workshop at that time.
Mintmark | Mint (Modern Name) |
A | Arelatum/Constantina (Arles, France) |
AL | Alexandria, Egypt |
ALE | Alexandria, Egypt |
ALEX | Alexandria, Egypt |
AMB | Ambianum (Amiens, France) |
AMBI | Ambianum (Amiens, France) |
AN | Antioch/Antiochia (Antakiyah, Syria) |
ANT | Antioch/Antiochia (Antakiyah, Syria) |
ANTOB | Antioch/Antiochia (Antakiyah, Syria) |
AQ | Aquileia, Italy |
AQOB | Aquileia, Italy |
AQPS | Aquileia, Italy |
AQVI | Aquileia, Italy |
AQVIL | Aquileia, Italy |
AR | Arelatum/Constantina (Arles, France) |
ARL | Arelatum/Constantina (Arles, France) |
AVG | Londinium (London, England) |
AVGOB | Londinium (London, England) |
AVGPS | Londinium (London, England) |
| |
BA | Barcino (Barcelona, Spain) |
| |
C | Camulodunum (Colchester, England) |
C | Clausentum (Bitterne, England) |
C | Constantinopolis (Istanbul, Turkey) |
CL | Camulodunum (Colchester, England) |
CL | Clausentum (Bitterne, England) |
CP | Constantinopolis (Istanbul, Turkey) |
COM | Thessalonica (Salonika, Greece) |
COMOB | Thessalonica (Salonika, Greece) |
CON | Arelatum/Constantina (Arles, France) |
CONST | Arelatum/Constantina (Arles, France) |
CON | Constantinopolis (Istanbul, Turkey) |
CONS | Constantinopolis (Istanbul, Turkey) |
CONSP | Constantinopolis (Istanbul, Turkey) |
CONOB | Constantinopolis (Istanbul, Turkey) |
CVZ | Cyzicus (Kapu Dagh, Turkey) |
CVZIC | Cyzicus (Kapu Dagh, Turkey) |
CYZ | Cyzicus (Kapu Dagh, Turkey) |
CYZICEN | Cyzicus (Kapu Dagh, Turkey) |
| |
H | Heraclea (Marmara Ereglisi, Turkey) |
HER | Heraclea (Marmara Ereglisi, Turkey) |
HERAC | Heraclea (Marmara Ereglisi, Turkey) |
HERACI | Heraclea (Marmara Ereglisi, Turkey) |
HERACL | Heraclea (Marmara Ereglisi, Turkey) |
HT | Heraclea (Marmara Ereglisi, Turkey) |
| |
K | Carthage/Carthago (near Tunis, North Africa) |
K | Cyzicus (Kapu Dagh, Turkey) |
KAR | Carthage/Carthago (near Tunis, North Africa) |
KART | Carthage/Carthago (near Tunis, North Africa) |
KON | Arelatum/Constantina (Arles, France) |
KONSTAN | Arelatum/Constantina (Arles, France) |
KV | Cyzicus (Kapu Dagh, Turkey) |
KVZ | Cyzicus (Kapu Dagh, Turkey) |
KY | Cyzicus (Kapu Dagh, Turkey) |
| |
L | Londinium (London, England) |
LD | Lugdunum (Lyons, France) |
LG | Lugdunum (Lyons, France) |
LI | Londinium (London, England) |
LN | Londinium (London, England) |
LON | Londinium (London, England) |
LVG | Lugdunum (Lyons, France) |
LVGD | Lugdunum (Lyons, France) |
LVGPS | Lugdunum (Lyons, France) |
| |
MD | Mediolanum (Milan, Italy) |
MDOB | Mediolanum (Milan, Italy) |
MDPS | Mediolanum (Milan, Italy) |
MED | Mediolanum (Milan, Italy) |
ML | Londinium (London, England) |
MLL | Londinium (London, England) |
MLN | Londinium (London, England) |
MN | Nicomedia (Izmit, Turkey) |
MOST | Ostia (Port of Rome) |
MSL | Londinium (London, England) |
| |
N | Nicomedia (Izmit, Turkey) |
NIC | Nicomedia (Izmit, Turkey) |
NICO | Nicomedia (Izmit, Turkey) |
NIK | Nicomedia (Izmit, Turkey) |
| |
OES | Thessalonica (Salonika, Greece) |
OST | Ostia (Port of Rome) |
| |
PLG | Lugdunum (Lyons, France) |
PLN | Londinium (London, England) |
PLON | Londinium (London, England) |
PK | Carthage/Carthago (near Tunis, North Africa) |
| |
R | Rome, Italy |
RAV | Ravenna, Italy |
RM | Rome, Italy |
ROM | Rome, Italy |
ROMA | Rome, Italy |
ROMOB | Rome, Italy |
RV | Ravenna, Italy |
RVPS | Ravenna, Italy |
| |
S | Siscia (Sisak, Croatia) |
SD | Serdica (Sophia, Bulgaria) |
SER | Serdica (Sophia, Bulgaria) |
SERD | Serdica (Sophia, Bulgaria) |
SIR | Sirmium (near Mitrovica, Kosovo) |
SIRM | Sirmium (near Mitrovica, Kosovo) |
SIROB | Sirmium (near Mitrovica, Kosovo) |
SIS | Siscia (Sisak, Croatia) |
SISC | Siscia (Sisak, Croatia) |
SISCPS | Siscia (Sisak, Croatia) |
SM | Sirmium (near Mitrovica, Kosovo) |
SMAL | Alexandria, Egypt |
SMAN | Antioch/Antiochia (Antakiyah, Syria) |
SMAQ | Aquileia, Italy |
SMBA | Barcino (Barcelona, Spain) |
SMH | Heraclea (Marmara Ereglisi, Turkey) |
SMK | Cyzicus (Kapu Dagh, Turkey) |
SMN | Nicomedia (Izmit, Turkey) |
SMR | Rome, Italy |
SMSD | Serdica (Sophia, Bulgaria) |
SMTR | Treveri (Trier, Germany) |
SMTS | Thessalonica (Salonika, Greece) |
| |
T | Ticinum (Pavia, Italy) |
TE | Thessalonica (Salonika, Greece) |
TES | Thessalonica (Salonika, Greece) |
TESOB | Thessalonica (Salonika, Greece) |
TH | Thessalonica (Salonika, Greece) |
THS | Thessalonica (Salonika, Greece) |
THES | Thessalonica (Salonika, Greece) |
THSOB | Thessalonica (Salonika, Greece) |
TR | Treveri (Trier, Germany) |
TRE | Treveri (Trier, Germany) |
TROB | Treveri (Trier, Germany) |
TRPS | Treveri (Trier, Germany) |
TS | Thessalonica (Salonika, Greece) |
| |
VRB ROM | Rome, Italy |
|
|
|
Alexandria, Egypt | 294 – 421 and | AL, ALE, ALEX, SMAL |
Ambianum (Amiens, France) | 350 – 353 A.D. | AMB, AMBI |
Antioch/Antiochia (Antakiyah, Syria) | 217 – 611 A.D. | AN, ANT, ANTOB, SMAN |
Aquileia, Italy | 294 – 324 and | AQ, AQOB, AQPS, AQVI, AQVIL, SMAQ |
Arelatum/Constantina (Arles, France) | 313 – 475 A.D. | A, AR, ARL, |
Barcino (Barcelona, Spain) | 409 – 411 A.D. | BA, SMBA |
Camulodunum (Colchester, England) | c. 287 – 296 A.D. | C, CL |
Clausentum (Bitterne, England) | 287 – 296 A.D. | C, CL |
Carthage/Carthago | 296 – 307 and | K, KAR, KART, |
Constantinopolis (Istanbul, Turkey) | 326 – 1453 A.D. | C, CP, CON, |
Cyzicus (Kapu Dagh, Turkey) | 260 – c. 475 | CVZ, CVZIC, |
Heraclea (Marmara | 291 – c. 474 | H, HER, HERAC, HERACI, HERACL, HT, SMH |
Londinium/Augusta (London, England) | 287 – 325 | AVG, AVGOB, AVGPS, L, LD, LG, LI, LN, LON, LVG, LVGD, LVGPS, ML, MLL, MLN, MSL, |
Lugdunum (Lyons, France) | 15 B.C. – c. 90 | PLG |
Mediolanum (Milan, Italy) | c. 250 – c. 275 | MD, MDOB, MDPS, MED |
Nicomedia (Izmit, Turkey) | 294 – c. 474 | MN, N, NIC, |
Ostia (Port of Rome) | 308-313 A.D. | MOST, OST |
Ravenna, Italy | 404 – 475 A.D. | RAV, RV, RVPS |
Rome, Italy | c. 289 – 40 B.C. | R, RM, ROM, |
Serdica (Sophia, Bulgaria) | 272 -282, 303-308 | SD, SER, SERD, SMSD |
Sirmium (near Mitrovica, Kosovo) | 320 – 326, 351 – 364, 379 | SIR, SIRM, SIROB, SM |
Siscia (Sisak, Croatia) | 260 – c. 390 | S, SIS, SISC, SISCPS |
Thessalonica (Salonika, Greece) | 298 or 299 – c. | COM, COMOB, |
Ticinum (Pavia, Italy) | c. 274 – 326 | T |
Treveri (Trier, Germany) | 294 – 395, 408 - | SMTR, TR, TRE, |
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