Imitations of AE of Magnentius and Decentius are almost as common as "official" issues. Some are crude and smaller than official issues, but many are nearly full size and of passable style. The line between the official coins and the imitations is often fine.

Pierre Bastien wrote a huge book, La Monnayage de Magnence (second edition, 1983), on the coins of Magnentius. It illustates very many examples of each type, including many imitations. (Be sure to consult the second edition. It has many supplemental plates of coins not in the first edition.)

For a survey of late Roman imitations including a couple of these types, see Bastien, "Imitations of Roman bronze coins" in ANSMN 30 (1985), 143-174 and plates 41-44.

Imitations are of several types, apparently numerous in proportion to the numbers of the originals. The common types of Magnentius are commonly imitated, and I imagine the primary reason I have not seen imiations of some of his rare originals is they are proportionally rare. Imitations of the early types are of full size or nearly full size. The "two victories" imitations begin of full size, but continue on down to tiny -- as tiny as the small FEL-TEMP-REPARATIO-soldier-spearing-fallen-horseman imitations so common in England.

Here are prototypes of the types commonly copied:
   FELICITAS REIPVBLICE
This example:  AE22, RIC Trier 266, page 158, very common.  19 Jan. 350 - Spring 351.
IM CAE MAGN-ENTIVS AVG
    /emperor standing left holding Victory and labarum.
Other examples may have a rosette diadem. This issue was before the elevation of Decentius (Spring 351)
Its imitations (below).

  another FELICITAS REIPVBLICE
This one  is from Lugdunum (Lyons). AE22. 6:00. 5.54 grams. RIC Lyons 112.
Note the fine style, albeit a large eye. The Trier type is bare-headed. This one from Lyon has a rosette diadem.
Its imitations (below).

  GLORIA ROMANORVM
This example:  AE23, RIC Trier 270, common, page 158.
DN MAGNEN-TIVS PF AVG
    /emperor kneeling right, spearing kneeling enemy
This issue was after FELICITAS REIPVBLICE, but also after before the elevation of Decentius (Spring 351).
Its imitations (below).

  VICTORIAE DD NN AVG ET CAE
This example:  AE20, RIC Arles 184, page 217.
DN MAGNEN-TIVS PF AVG
    /two victories standing facing each other, holding shield between them, inscribed
    VOT/V/MVL/X
This type sometimes comes with a column supporting the shield. The chi-rho above the shield is optional.
This issue was jointly with Decentius.
Its imitations (below).

   SALVS DD NN AVG ET CAES, with chi-rho
This example:  AE27, RIC Trier 318, common.
DN MAGNEN-TIVS PF AVG
    /large chi-rho between alpha and omega
This was the last issue.
Its imitations (below).

  AE22-19. 12:30. 4.19 grams.
Bold and well-struck, but with letter forms far from official.
DN MAC ...
    /lots of letters resemble the correct letters, but many do not.
    /mintmark: an attempt at TRP, with the "R" a bit like a reversed "N".
Prototype of Trier.
  AE24.  6:00. 4.93 grams.
Very large, with an excellent portrait and well-done reverse type. That is almost enough to make one think it is official. However, the lettering is too far from official. Look closely to see how nearly it reproduces these legends:
DN MAGNENTIVS PF AVG
    /FELICITAS REIPVBLICE
The mintmark TRS is clear.
The rosette-diadem was not used on official issues at this mint.
This is an outstanding example of an imitation.

  AE22. 11:00. 4.39 grams.
Good style. Only slightly "barbarous".
    /A in reverse field right.
Mintmark:  TRS (clipped)
Prototype:  RIC Trier 264 with an obverse legend variant.

  AE21. 7:30. 3.83 grams.
A vey well done imitation, with passable lettering which is only a bit too extreme.
Prototype: RIC Lyons 112.

  AE22-21. 6:00. 4.45 grams.
Beautiful green color. This one is very close to official and might well be, but the ski nose is unlike most high-style coins of the Lyons mint.
mintmark:  RPLG
Prototype:  RIC Lyons 112.

  AE20. 5:30. 4.52 grams.
There is no doubt this one is an imitation! A cartoon-like portrait. Slightly, but noticably, smaller than official, but not lighter -- it is thicker than normal.
This piece is cruder than any of the examples in Bastiens's book on Magnentius.

  AE19-17. 7:00. 3.01 grams.
A distinctly smaller imitation with heavy patina obscuring some details.
Found in England.
Prototype possibly RIC Trier 312, page 163, struck 352.

  AE18-15. 6:00.
Heavy green patina.
Letters and shield inscription are well-formed.
Found in England in the region of Cambridge.

  AE15. 9:00.
Very crude and small.
On the obverse, the "AVG" is bold.
Shield inscription is nonsense:  O/OO/ \

Six more, smaller, imitations. From 16-11 mm.
The numerous imitations of this type in this very small size tell us that this type was imitated longer than the others.
The fourth piece is especially interesting for its good style. It is good enough to call it official, in which case it would have to be a different denomination than the large-size ones. I have seen other tiny imitations of this quality and style, some even better. Such coins have prompted scholars to consider the official existence of the smaller denomination. I, personally, just think it is a very well-done imitation from a slightly later time period when this smaller size was commonly in circulation.
Note the blundered forms of the inscripions of the shield, which range from I's to O's.
These imitations are common, even though they are only a small fraction of the abundant English imitations of this size. They are found mixed in which far larger numbers of small FEL TEMP REPARATIO soldier-spearing-fallen-horseman imitations. The heavy green patination is very common on such coins.

Decentius
VICTORIAE DD NN AVG ET CAE
  AE22. 6:00. 3.51 grams.
Superb imitation.
DN DECENTIVS NOB CAES, bare head, draped and cuirassed, right
letters in very good style, with the "A" more like an "H".
    /VICTORIAE DD NN AVG ET CAE
    /two Victories holding shield inscribed "VOT/V/MVL/X" on column, S and V to either side of column
    /AMB in exergue (Ambianum mint)
References:  RIC VIII Ambianum 6, page 122 "S" for type, but Ambianum issues do not have letters in the field, which are only on issues from Lugdunum, e.g. RIC Lugdunum 125-133, Bastien V.169-171, 174-179, and 182-189. Bastien (2nd Ed.) XVII.34 has a die-identical reverse with a Magnentius obverse in the "imitation" section.
Bought from a dealer in France.

  AE19-18. 6:00. 2.64 grams.
A superb imitation of reduced size. Even the letering is good, but the shield inscription is merely "VOT/MVLT", omitting the V and X.
DN DECENTIVS NOB CAES, bare head, draped and cuirassed, right
    /shield supported by a column.
Mintmark:  RSLG
See Bastien, XVIII.40 and 42 for imitations of this size.

Although this issue was the last issue of Magnentius, its imitations did not continue in the same way that the imitations of the above "two victories" type did. I attribute this to the large size, which was not compatible with the sizes of the coins of Constantius II.
    All chi-rho images enlarged on one new page.

  AE28. 11:00. 6.69 grams.
Most of the imitations of this type are full-size or very nearly so, and in reasonably good style. They deviate from official issues much less than many other types of imitations.
DN MAGNEN-TIVS PF AVG
    /SALVS DD NN AVG ET CAES, large chi-rho with alpha to left and omega to right.
This imitation:  Weakly stuck obverse. Mintmark unclear from any angle. Note the outlining of the chi-rho.

  AE28-25. 12:00. 7.94 grams.
Another well-executed coin. The serifs are angled just like those of official coins of the Lugdunum (Lyons) mint.
Mintmark: LPLG
This piece could well be official.

  AE25-24. 6:00. 8.43 grams.
Another well-executed imitation. The style is a little "off."
Mintmark:  LSLG. The alpha is crossed oddly.

The half denomination:
SALVS DD NN AVG ET CAES.  A much scarcer half-denomination of the usual AE1 coin of the same type:

Prototype:  AE20, 11:00. Struck Spring 351-353.  This example:  RIC unlisted, but see page 217, 201
for size and type, and 188 and 194 for this mintmark on the larger type.
Imitation:  AE17, 5:00, 2.75 grams. Weakly struck (weakly engraved?) obverse.
Somewhat cruder style. The ear is too high. The hair has little detail. On the reverse the alpha and omega are crude.
Imitations of this type are very rare, probably because the originals are also rare.

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This page revised August 17, 2002.