Commodus denarius bust variant - a new coin added

[timka]

Hi!

I would like to share with you a bust variant of Commodus denarius (RIC 113). Most probably it is draped and cuirassed bust, but it could be just draped bust - unfortunately some details are missing.

ob. M COMM ANT P FEL AVG BRIT, laureate draped and cuirassed (?) bust right
rev. SAEC FEL P M TR P X IMP VII COS IIII P P, Victory standing right, with foot on helmet and setting shield on palm; shield inscribed VO DE

RIC 113 (bust variant)

2,7 g - 17x18 mm - 6h

Thank you for your time,

Z  

[timka]

...also, I've also noticed that obverse legends possibly reads M COMM ANT AVG P BRIT, but not M COMM ANT P FEL AVG BRIT (RIC 113).  If it is so, then it is a variant of obverse legend as well!

[curtislclay]

Obv. legend probably BMC's legend D on p. 712:

M COMM ANT - [AVG P] BR[IT FEL].

BMC 166 has this obv. legend with the SAEC FEL TR P X type, but bust the normal Head laur. r.

This obv. legend, bust Laur. draped r., with FID EXERC TR P X type of same issue: Cohen 140 (Paris) = BMC 160 note. Needs confirmation, however, since Cohen merely carries on the description from Paris' aureus of the type with draped bust. Maybe Cohen just forgot to add that the Paris denarius has the same types as the aureus, but with head laureate right. It is suspicious that according to Cohen Paris' one denarius with these legends has the rare draped bust type, while the commoner Head laur. r. denarius (BM 160) is missing from the Paris collection.

A typo in your description: rev. legend should be COS IIII not V.

[timka]

Obv. legend probably BMC's legend D on p. 712:

M COMM ANT - [AVG P] BR[IT FEL].

BMC 166 has this obv. legend with the SAEC FEL TR P X type, but bust the normal Head laur. r.

This obv. legend, bust Laur. draped r., with FID EXERC TR P X type of same issue: Cohen 140 (Paris) = BMC 160 note. Needs confirmation, however, since Cohen merely carries on the description from Paris' aureus of the type with draped bust. Maybe Cohen just forgot to add that the Paris denarius has the same types as the aureus, but with head laureate right. It is suspicious that according to Cohen Paris' one denarius with these legends has the rare draped bust type, while the commoner Head laur. r. denarius (BM 160) is missing from the Paris collection.

A typo in your description: rev. legend should be COS IIII not V.

Thank you, Curtis - yes, you are right with the obverse legend - 'P' is legible enough before 'BR' - so it is legend D as you suggested.

I checked Paris museum online catalog for Commode, but it appeared that denarii of Commode are not digitized yet - though 88 pages of provincial Commode coins are at our disposal online already:). Anyway, I could not figure out so straightforwardly if Cohen messed up with n140 or not.  So, this needs to wait until Paris museum finishes their job on digitalization.

[dougsmit]

This seem to have COMM ANT AVG P BRIT But is tight enough at the left that I could see the M was lost.  There seem to be more variations of this type than some.

[timka]

Doug, thank you for sharing your nice denarius of Commodus - well  minted and and round-shaped denarius of Commodus is a rare sight:)

I guess that my denarius has the same legend as yours, without FEL in the end. The letters are bold enough on my denarius, so that I guess it can surely follow the precedent of a very short legend hinted by your coin. 

[curtislclay]

I'd say there was clearly never an M on Doug's coin, so its obv. legend was

COMM ANT - AVG P BRIT,

BMC's legend C on p. 712.

A denarius of the same type with the same obv. legend is also in the Berlin collection according to Kaiser-Raiss, p. 118, 79+.

The obv. legend on Timka's denarius, on the other hand, clearly starts with M, and clearly has enough space on the right to end BR[IT FEL].  So as I said, its obv. legend was apparently

M COMM ANT - [AVG P] BR[IT FEL],

BMC's legend D, already attested with the SAEC FEL TR P X rev. type, though with the standard Head laureate r. bust type, by BMC  166 and a specimen in the Reka Devnia hoard.

[timka]

Curtis, thank you very much indeed for clearing up the obverse legend! Noted. 

[timka]

Hi!

I would like to add a new denarius with the same obverse to this thread. Please pay attention to the fact that both coins are from the same ob. die! The new one is in a much better condition, so it confirms what Curtis earlier suggested for a hardly legible obverse legend of VO DE denarius...as you can see from the new Annona denarius, the ob. legend is indeed M COMM ANT - AVG P BRIT FEL.

So, this new denarius with Annona on reverse seems to be a new unrecorded variety with draped bust seen from back. I checked BM, numismatics.org, Reka Devnia, etc and have not seen any analogue.

RIC 106 (bust variant)

ob.  M COMM ANT - AVG P BRIT draped bust r., seen from back
rev. P M TR P X IMP VII COS IIII PP / ANN, Annona standing left, holding small statuette and cornucopia; modius at feet to left, prow at feet to right.

2,87 g - 18mm - 7h

Thank you for your time,

Z.