Antoninianus - Probus MARTI PACIF; Mars

Reverse

Mars, helmeted, in military attire, walking left, holding olive-branch in right hand and spear and shield in left hand.
I in left field. Sometimes star in right field.

Script: Latin

Lettering:
MARTI PACIF
I /✶
QXXI

Translation:
Marti Pacifero.
To Mars, the peacemaker.

Edge

Plain

Comment

This coin was minted by the 4th officina (exergue mark QXXT) of Ticinum. RIC only mentions the left field mark 'I', which is the 9th emission and therefore of the year 281. Commonly also included under RIC 509 is the 10th emission (year 282) with left field mark 'I' and right field mark '✶'. See for the emissions: Karl Pink, Der Aufbau der römischen Münzprägung in der Kaiserzeit VI/I, Wien, 1949.

According to Pink, both emissions are part of the EQVITI series of Ticinum, that also includes the 8th emission (280). In the EQVITI series, the 4th officina represents the letter I in the left field. See on these coded series: Gert Boersema, The Translation of the Codewords AEQVITI, IOBI and HPKOY, Forumancientcoins.com, 2007.

See for other examples of RIC 509:
-probuscoins.fr #306 (I/-//QXXI);
-probuscoins.fr #1099 (I/-//QXXI);
-probuscoins.fr #2447 (I/-//QXXI);
-probuscoins.fr #2905 (I/-//QXXI);
-probuscoins.fr #3815 (I/-//QXXI);
-probuscoins.fr #4081 (I/-//QXXI);
-probuscoins.fr #314 (I/✶//QXXI);
-probuscoins.fr #4110 (I/✶//QXXI).

Interesting fact