Need sanity check on A. Pius from Calycadnum

[laney]

AE 25 mm; 8.29 g.

There is coin on RPC online looks must like mine, Temp. # 4033.  No type reference is given.

From another posting with similar coin:  Kilikia, Seleukeia. Antoninus Pius. 138-161 AD. AE 24mm (10.17 gm). Obv.: Laureate head right. Rev.: Helmeted Athena standing facing with spear and shield, holding Nike in extended right. Cf. SNG Levante 723 (unrecorded die-combination, same obverse die as SNG Levante 724)

From another posting (on ACSEARCH.INFO), which doesn’t mention a Levante reference:  Römisches Kaiserreich: Antoninus Pius bis Commodus, Antoninus Pius-138-161 als Augustus. Lokalbronze (9,13 g), Seleuceia ad Calycadnum (Cilicia) . Av.: Portrait n.r. Rv.: Athena mit Nike und Schild(?) n.l. SNG Cop -, SNB BN -,. SNG Righetti - , Lindgren A1579Avar (dort m. zusätzl. Lanze

Yet another, on Wildwinds says a similar coin is Levante 723, whereas a different coin—with different reverse from the other Wildwinds coin—is called Levante 723.  Both described as having spear and shield.

While the RPC coin looks most like mine, I am still confused by (1) the best description of the reverse, the reverse legend, and the markings in right field of reverse, (2) the best reference to use.

Thanks much for any help.

Laney

[Pekka K]

SNG Tahberer lists 2 coins similar to Levante 723.

Pekka K

[laney]

Hi Pekka K.

The problem is that I don't see anything that actually looks like a spear where a spear should be on my coin or the RPC coin (despite it having spear in the description); and I don't see the letters in the right reverse field in the SNG Tahberer examples. 

Laney

[Pekka K]

RPC 4033 is more like your coin:

http://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/4/4033/

Pekka K

edit: Levante 723 is RPC 4987

[Mark Fox]

Dear Laney, Pekka, and Board,

Let's see if we can clear this up a bit.

The coin illustrated for RPC IV Online 4033:

http://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/4/4033/

...is not only similar to Laney's coin, but is die identical (on both sides).  I was able to track down this other coin listed in the specimen list:
  
http://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=72505

It was struck from the same die pair as well.  And Laney is correct, there is no spear visible on the reverse die in question.  So what we have here is probably an error in the RPC Online description.  Therefore, I would cite Laney's coin as RPC IV Online 4033 corr. (spear), or something similar, until the error is fixed.  Of course, to make the last happen, I would submit the new coin to the RPC editors and let them know what was discovered here.

As a side note, I think Tahberer's two coins would fit better under RPC IV Online 4987:  

http://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/4/4987/

Tahberer's second piece, for instance, shares the same dies as the coin illustrated on the RPC website.  This type does indeed depict Athena holding a spear.

However, going back to RPC IV Online 4033 again, I should point out another potential mistake.  See coin #4, the last coin in the specimen list (C Lewis 1732):

http://www.s110120695.websitehome.co.uk/PHP/SNG_PHP/04_03_Reply.php?Series=SNGuk&AccessionNo=0602_1732    

The obverse die matches the coin illustrated for no. 4987, and Athena is clearly holding a spear, but the reverse legends are quite possibly different from either no. 4987 or 4033.  So what we are seeing could potentially be a third variety deserving of a separate RPC number.  

I hope most of this helped clarify things rather than muddle them.


Best regards,

Mark Fox
Michigan

[laney]

Wow.  That is a very comprehensive analysis!

If it is desirable to submit the coin to RPC, I may end up needing some hand-holding through the process.

It feels good to have someone agree that there is no obvious spear on either my coin or on the image for RPC 4033.  That helps with the sanity element.

Many thanks for the effort you've put into this.

Laney