An interesting legend error for Commodus from Nikopolis

[Jochen]

Dear Friends of Nikopolis!

I want to share this coin:

Moesia inferior, Nikopolis ad Istrum, Commodus, 177-192
AE 18, 2.43g
Av. AV KAI M A - YMODOC
       Laureate head r.
Rv. NIKO - PROC CICT
      Tyche, wearing kalathos, enthroned l., holds cornucopiae in left arm and in Extended r. Hand rudder
Ref: a) not in AMNG
       b) not in Varbanov
       c) Hristova-Hoeft-Jekov (2018) No. 8.10.38.21 corr.
rare, +, dark green Patina

The rarity is listed ad R5, But in 12 years I have only seen 2 ex., so I would think it is rather R8.

This coin already caused me problems when I posted it a year ago at Nikopolis Addenda #5. It comes from the collection of Vladimir P from Forum Ancient Coins. But unfortunately, due to its poor preservation, large parts of the obv. legend are not readable. Now I've managed to bid for a coin in better condition and I think I've solved the mystery of the obv. legend.

What immediately catches your eye is the clear Y at the beginning of the second part of the legend. This only happens with the legends for Commodus at A - YR and the A at the end of the first legend part fits well. In the name KOMODOC the KO is missing and the M is only a stunted letter.

Actually, the obv. legend should be completely as AV KAI M A-YR KOMODOC. But the die cutter probably saw that there was not enough space available for KOMODOC. So he broke off his legend and turned the planned (or already started!) R of A-YR into a mutilated M, so that he could still write MODOC.

Thus it is a legend error and the obv. legend is AV KAI M A - YMODOC.

Best regards

For comparison I added the obverse of Vladimir's coin. There you can see better the M A.

[shanxi]

Two things are strange.

1: Shortening the name to KOMO or KOMOD would have been more logical.
2: The gaps between the letters (ODOC) are quite big and there is also a big gap to the bust. There was surely enough space to write the complete legend if the die cutter had placed the letters close together.

But possibly the cutter didn't wrote the legend from left to right, but started simultaneously left and right*, running into problems when the two parts came together. At least this would explain the unnecessary space problem and the strange abbrevation ODOC instead of KOMO.

*: maybe cutting the legend in the under half the coin die, and then rotate the die for the upper half.