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Author Topic: Indo Scythian/Kushan AE Coin bust left obverse lion reverse  (Read 1510 times)

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Offline Constantine IV

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Indo Scythian/Kushan AE Coin bust left obverse lion reverse
« on: February 15, 2017, 06:58:25 pm »
Hello all,
This coin came in a lot I bought over four years ago. All of the other coins were AR/Billon Drachms of Azes II (12 in total).
Hence me thinking this too is Indo Scythian or maybe Kushan.
Doing internet searches since then, time allowing, for a match has never yielded anything for me.
Certainly there are Greek Imperial types that have a lion walking right on their reverses (Philippopolis) but I do wonder if it is Indo Scythian or maybe Kushan.

Obverse: ...VΓOVC, bust facing left.
Reverse: ...ЄCC..., lion walking right. Though the exergue part is lost due to the break, there is the remains of some device.
It weighs 1.83 g and has dimensions of 18.2  x 15.3 x 1 mm

Any help that can be offered in identifying this is greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
"He who gives himself airs of importance, exhibits the credentials of impotence". ~ Decimus Laberius, 46 BCE

Offline Howard Cole

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Re: Indo Scythian/Kushan AE Coin bust left obverse lion reverse
« Reply #1 on: February 15, 2017, 11:17:29 pm »
I think it is Roman and not Indo-Scythian or Kushan.

Offline peterpil19

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Re: Indo Scythian/Kushan AE Coin bust left obverse lion reverse
« Reply #2 on: February 16, 2017, 08:14:54 am »
Hi,

Definitely not Kushan.

Doesn't look like Indo-Scythian.

I agree that it looks Roman Provincial.
Obverse inscription looks like it could read AVΓOVCTOC?

Peter


Offline Constantine IV

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Re: Indo Scythian/Kushan AE Coin bust left obverse lion reverse
« Reply #3 on: February 17, 2017, 11:32:22 am »
This is the original photo of the lot, this coin is in the middle:
"He who gives himself airs of importance, exhibits the credentials of impotence". ~ Decimus Laberius, 46 BCE

Offline Meepzorp

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Re: Indo Scythian/Kushan AE Coin bust left obverse lion reverse
« Reply #4 on: February 18, 2017, 08:17:39 pm »
Hi folks,

I agree that it looks Roman Provincial. Maybe Asia Minor?

Meepzorp

Offline peterpil19

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Re: Indo Scythian/Kushan AE Coin bust left obverse lion reverse
« Reply #5 on: February 18, 2017, 10:04:19 pm »
Hi,

The rest of your coins are definitely Indo-Scythian, not Kushan.

I have spent an unhealthy amount of time searching all the databases.  

I have looked at every provincial coin which has a lion, boar (in some cases boars look similar to lions), panthers and elephants (on some provincial coins, some of the elephants amazingly look like your lion).

I do not think it is Indo-Greek, Kushan, or Indian as their coinage typically refers to BASILEWS not AUGUSTUS/A.
I'm fairly certain the inscription reads AVΓOVCTOC. There's no other word with VΓOVC I can think of that would make sense.
Most searches of AVΓOVCTOC are Caracalla, and you get some which are similar, but no match.
ECC on the reverse could be Thessalonica, or Edessa.

The obverse looks potentially like an Elagabalus, Geta, Gordian III or Caracalla. Each one of these would be consistent with the ECC being Thessalonica or Edessa.

I'd really like someone who specialises in Roman Provincials (I do not) to jump in and solve this mystery for us.

Peter




Offline Constantine IV

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Re: Pessinus
« Reply #6 on: February 19, 2017, 08:27:00 pm »
Thank you Peter +++  :branchesthreeright:

I have to say, I am sure it is a lion on the reverse, from the long tail, legs, paws, torso and head with some tufts around it for a mane.
I have looked into my copy of Varbanov III for examples for Macedonian Edessa and Thessalonica for the said Emperors, none of which have recorded examples with "AVΓOVCTOC" in full in their obverse legend.
(The flan of my coin is thin, around 1 mm, most of the coins (AEs) I have owned for Thessalonica have been thick, around 3 mm.)

Having a look in artificial light some other letters on both the obverse and reverse are made out, now making them appear:
Ob: ...CA...ΓOVC.
Reverse: ...ΠЄCCY...O.
I wonder if this is "Pessinus", the town in Galatia? And as you menetioned, Peter, Caracalla? (there are Pessinus examples of AVΓOVCTOC for Caracalla, such as in Wilds Winds, though those are large AE30s)

Meepzorp was right on Asia Minor being a possibility. +++

However one example does have a similar obverse legend of AVΓOVCTOC the similar "V" before the "Γ", which difers to the "V" after "O":
http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/ric/caracalla/_pessinus_SNGFrance_2619.txt

That one's obverse legend is: ANTΩNINOC AVΓOVCTOC, so on mine it must be: ANTΩNINOC A-VΓOVCTOC
I guess the lion is the "Cybele" theme that appears on some of Pessinus coinage?

So the mint is: Pessinus, Emperor: Caracalla.

Now to find a reference...
"He who gives himself airs of importance, exhibits the credentials of impotence". ~ Decimus Laberius, 46 BCE

Offline esnible

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Re: Indo Scythian/Kushan AE Coin bust left obverse lion reverse
« Reply #7 on: February 20, 2017, 08:14:37 am »
Good observation!  Based on your hints, I found this Geta:

http://www.coinproject.com/coin_detail.php?coin=307710

Offline Constantine IV

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Re: Geta, Pessinus
« Reply #8 on: February 20, 2017, 11:55:30 am »
Good observation!  Based on your hints, I found this Geta:

http://www.coinproject.com/coin_detail.php?coin=307710

That's the one, thank you esnible! +++ :<a href='../numiswiki/view.asp?key=wreath' target='_blank'>wreath</a>2:
"He who gives himself airs of importance, exhibits the credentials of impotence". ~ Decimus Laberius, 46 BCE

Offline peterpil19

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Re: Indo Scythian/Kushan AE Coin bust left obverse lion reverse
« Reply #9 on: February 21, 2017, 01:23:38 am »
 +++

Great example of good team work.

Very interesting challenge

I did search coinproject.com for coins with lions - I'm surprised I overlooked that one...

Peter

 

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