Mintmarks of the Fourth Century AD

The following notes are intended to help with the identification of Roman base-metal nummi. This table does not attempt to cover gold and silver mint-marks. They will be covered separately. Information provided:

Name of the Mint
When the mint was operational
The common core letter abbreviations for the mint
The number of officinae / workshops operating at the mint (the maximum number are given, although many mints did not operate this number of workshops all of the time). The code letters for the officinae - Latin, Greek and Numeral versions - are listed below. They are normally affixes.

Workshop codes

P = Prima (1)
S = Secunda (2)
T = Tertia (3)
Q = Quarta (4)

A = Alpha (1)
B = Beta (2)
Γ = Gamma (3)
Δ = Delta (4)
E = Epsilon (5)
S = Sigma (6)
Z = Zeta (7)
H = Eta (8)
Θ = Theta (9)
I = Iota (10)
IA = Iota Alpha (11)

[OF] I = 1
[OF] II = 2
[OF] III = 3

5. Other letters that appear with the mintmarks at times. They are normally prefixes:

Other Letters

SM = Sacra Moneta = Sacred Money/Mint M = Moneta = Money/Mint P = Pecunia (when not used as P/Prima for officina) = Money Note that on silver and gold, the following letters could appear: PS = Pulsatum (pure silver) OB = Obryziacum (pure gold)

6. A listing (not exhaustive) of the mintmarks as marked in the exergue of coins. Field letters and symbols are not provided. When you have identified the mint, you can pursue the precise coin in Roman Imperial Coinage (RIC) and Late Roman Bronze Coinage (LRBC).

Some examples:

PLON = Prima Londinium or Pecunia Londinium = first workshop of London, or money of London
STR = Secunda Trier = second workshop of Trier
SMTR = Sacra Moneta Trier = sacred money/mint of Trier
SMRT = Sacra Moneta Roma Tertia = sacred money/mint of Rome, third workshop
MOSTP = Moneta Ostia Prima = money/mint of Ostia, first workshop
ALEB = Alexandria Beta = second workshop of Alexandria

Note on writing mintmarks:

If a coin has a figure standing on the reverse and letters shown thus:

T F

PTR we write it as T F//PTR

PTR we write it as T -//PTR

PTR we write it as - F//PTR

PTR we write it as -//PTR

T F we write it as T F//-

K A

SISCP we write it as S -/K A//SISCP

For a letter in the middle of the field, ie between two figures:

TRP A//TRP

Table of mints and mintmarks, starting in the North-West and working South and Eastwards

Mint Name	Dates Operational	Core letters	Officinae / Workshops (note that number varied in mints over time)	Other letters used	Common Marks in exergue (except for Trier marks, only first officina example provided)	Notes
London	294-325 (383-8 - gold only)	L, LN, LON	1: P	M	No mark; L, ML, MLL, MSL, MLN, PLN, PLON, PLONÈ	Letters in the fields on various issues
Amiens	350-3	AMB	1: (not marked)	AMB, AMB(branch), •AMB(branch), AMB, •AMB, AMBÈ, AMBÈ•, AMBÈ, AMBÈ•, AMB•, È•AMB(wreath)	(Magnentius, Decentius & Constantius II)
Trier	294-395 (-c. 430)	TR	2: P, S; I, II; A, B	SM	TR, A/BTR, I-IITR, •A/BTR, P/STR, •P/STR, P/STR•, •P/STR•, P/STRÈ, •P/STRÈ, P/STRÈ●, P/STRE, TRP/S, TR•P/S, TRP/S•, TRP/S*, TRP/S•, TRP/S(branch), •TRP(branch), TRPÈ, •TRP/S•, SMTR, SMTRP	Letters and symbols in the fields on various issues
Lyon	294-395 (- c. 423)	LG, LVG, LVGD	2: P, S; OF I & II	LG, LVG, P/SLG, P/SLGÈ, LVGP, P/SLG, •P/SLG, PLG•, PLG, FPLG, RPLG, RPLG• ÈPLG, LPLG, C, PLG, MPLG, PLGÈ, LVGDOFFP, (branch)PLVGD, PLVG, PLVG, LVG•P, LVGP*, LVGP(+letter), LVGP•	Letters in the fields on various issues
Arles, also known as Constantia (328-40 & 353-395)	313-395 (- c. 425)	ARL, CON, CONST	Max 4: P, S, T, Q; OF I, II & III	PARL, P/ÈA, PAR, ARLP, PARL•, PCONST, CON, PCON, CON, CON, LPAR	Letters in the fields on various issues
Ticinum (Pavia)	294-c.327	T	P, S, T	PT, PÈT, P(branch)T	Mint then moved to Constantinople
Rome	296-491	R, RM, ROM	Max 6: P, S, T, Q, E, S	SM	RP, RBP, RFP, R*P, R(wreath)P, R(leaf)P, RÈP, R(branch)P, RP(branch), VRB.ROM.P, ROMA.P, SMRP, RPRIMA, R•PRIMA, SM(leaf)RP, R•P, SMROM
Ostia	308-13	OST	4: A, B, Γ, Δ; P, S, T, Q	P, M	MOSTA, MOSTP	POSTA on silver; the mint of Ostia then moved to Arles in 313
Carthage	296-307; 308-311	K, KART	4: P, S, T, Q; A, B, Γ, Δ	P	PKP; PKA; KART in leg with A, B, Γ, Δ	In 307, part of the mint probably moved to set up mint at Ostia
Aquileia	294-402 (- c. 423)	AQ	3: P, S, Γ	SM	AQP, •AQP; AQP(branch), AQP•, AQP, (branch)AQP (branch), AQP, SMAQP, È●SMAQP, È SMAQP, SMAQP, •SMAQP, •SMAQP•, SMAQ,
Siscia	294-423	SIS, SISC	5: A, B, Γ, Δ, E	SM	SIS, •SIS•, SMSISC, ASIS, ASIS, ASIS•, •ASIS•, ASISÈ, ASISÈÈ, ASIS(thunderbolt), ASIS(branch), ASIS(wreath), ASIS('cogwheel', ASISR, ASISÈ, ASISC(+letter), ASISC, ASISV, ASISR, •ASISC, ÈSISC, DSISC, È*ASISC, ASISC•, SM	For the FEL TEMP REPARATIO fallen horseman types and the Valentinianic SECVRITAS REI PVBLICAE & GLORIA ROMANORVM types, there are numerous letters in fields
Serdica	c. 303-8; 313-4	SD, SER	5: A, B, Γ, Δ, E	SM	SM•SD•, •SM•SD•, •SM•SDA•
Sirmium	320-6, 351-64, 393-5	SM, SIR, SIRM	1: (not marked)	SIRM, •SIRM•, SIRM, ASIRM, ASIRM, •ASIRM•, ASIRM, ASIRM(wreath), ASIRM(branch)
Thessalonica	298-474	TS, TES, THS, THES	5: A, B, Γ, Δ, E	SM	TSA, •TSA•, TS, •TS•, •SM•TS•, •TS•A, TSAVI, TSAVII, SMTSA, SMTS, TESA, TSA, •TSA•, TESA, (branch)TESA, (branch) TESA•, (branch)TESA(branch), •TESA•, TES, •TES, TES•, •TES•, THES, THS	Large number of field letters on Valentinianic issues.
Heraclea	294-474	H, HT, HERACL, HERAC	5: A, B, Γ, Δ, E	SM, M	HA, HTA, •HTA•, H•T•A, SMHT, MHTA, •MHTA, MHTA•, •MHTA•, SMHA, SMHA•, •SMHA•, •SMHA, ••SMHA, SMHA, HERACLA, HERACL•A, •HERACL•A, HERACA, HERAC•A, SMHA, SMH
Constantinople	326-	CON, CONS, CN	Max 11: A, B, Γ, Δ, (E, S, Z, H, Θ, I, IA)	CONS, CONSA, CONS, CONSA•, •CONSA•, CONSA, CONSA(branch), •CONSPA(branch), (branch)CONSPA (branch), (branch)CONSA (branch), CONSPA, CONA, CONS, CN
Nicomedia	294-	N, NIK, NIC	A, B, Γ, Δ, E	SM, M	SMN, SMNA, MNA, NA, •SMNA, NIKA, (branch)NIKA(branch, SMNA, +SMNA, NIC, NICO
Cyzicus	294-	K, CVZICEN, CVZIC, CVZ	Max 8: A, B, Γ, Δ, E, S, Z, H	SM	KV, KA, MKA, MKV, MKVA, SMK, SKM, SMKA, SMKA•, •SMKA•, •SMKA, *SMKA, CVZICENA, CVZICA, CVZA, CVZ
Antioch	294-	ANT, AN	Max 7: A, B, Γ, Δ, E, S, Z	SM	ANT, ANTH, ANT•H, ANT•, ANTH, ÈSMA (reverse Σ), SMANT, SMANTA, •SMANTA, SMANA, ANA, ANTA, ANTA,
Alexandria	294-	ALE	Max 8: A, B, Γ, Δ, E, S, Z, H	SM	ALE, SMAL, SMALA, SMAL•A, ALEA, (branch)ALEA (branch),

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