Reference check:Macedon under the Romans, during reign of Gordian III

[peterpil19]

Hi,

Can I please have a second opinion on the correct reference for this coin?
Photo below.

Obverse: AΛEXANΔΡOY, diademed head of Alexander III right with flowing hair
Reverse:  KOINON MAKEΔONΩN B N, Athena seated left, holding Nike standing left, left hand touching the shield behind chair. No spear / scepter.

The only example in AMNG with the same reverse inscription of the type with Athena with Nike is AMNG 620.

HOWEVER, AMNG 620 does not appear to be the kind without the scepter. See e.g. AMGN 625. "aber ohne die lanze in l. arm".
Other than a couple years studying the language I don't speak / write German at all so I might not be reading it correctly.

Thanks!

Peter

[curtislclay]

According to the description, AMNG 620 should also have a star in r. field of reverse like 619; confirmed by the description of the BM spec., BMC 115, "behind Pallas, star."

One could postulate: your coin is smoothed in fields, so maybe the spear and the star were scraped away by the cleaner.

However, two differences in legend breaks seem to prove your coin is different from AMNG 620.

AMNG 620: obv. legend unbroken, rev. legend  broken MAKE - ΔONΩN.

Your coin: obv. legend broken AΛEΞANΔPO - V, rev. legend unbroken.

Exactly describing and dating all of the Alexander III bronzes of the Macedonian Koinon was a tremendous achievement by H. Gaebler, but the paucity of illustrations in AMNG is a severe handicap: one wishes Gaebler could have published an actual die catalogue, with every die illustrated! The reason for not doing so was presumably the high cost of illustrations.

[peterpil19]

Thank you Curtis,

Peter