Signed Imperial Thracian Coins

[rennrad12020]

1. A recent purchase:

Septimius Severus Hadrianopolis Sicinnius Clarus (202 AD)

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-121182

 An unpublished rx type for this governor in the major works.

2. Another coin purchased winter 2014/ spring 2015

Philippopolis Commodus Caecilius Maternus ( 187 Stein) Eagle

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-121185

I had a tough time figuring out whether this coin was from Pautalia of Philippopolis as the ethnic is obscured,  but I finally found an obv die match.

cf Obolos (Nomos)Feb 8 2015 lot 328



A few more to follow soon...

JPW

[rennrad12020]

From Las Vegas:

Philippopolis Commodus Caecilius Servilianus Nike on Biga


https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-121340

Magistrate’s name completely obliterated on this specimen.

Common obv die.
 
BMC 18 has a different legend break in ethnic on rx. (attached)


JPW

[Jochen]

Wonderful!

Jochen

[quadrans]

Wonderful!

Jochen

 + 1 

 Q.

[rennrad12020]

I couldn't resist adding this interesting piece:

Anchialus Commodus Governor Caecilius Servilianus (perhaps 186 AD; Stein) City gate

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-127143

2 countermarks on obv: Howgego 183 on lower left- Helmed Athena ; and 534- ΔX- in lower right, both are in circular punches.  Specimens with these two countermarks are recorded from Anchialus and Apollonia.
The ΔX probably is a denominational mark meaning 4 chalcoi.

Varbanov lists 5 arches in the gallery but the coin depicted has 6.  Strack records some variants in AMNG.  One reverse die has 6 arches (cf Varb 125) at Sophia.  He records another with 8 arches and an additional tower at Bukarest.

* After further scrutiny I am pretty sure that my coin is a double die match for the coin depicted in Varbanov (with 6 arches in the gallery).
So AMNG 442 (1.4) Sophia


JPW

[Gary M3]

Nice coin .

[rennrad12020]

Here is a nice chunky bronze I picked up a few weeks ago.

Philippopolis Commodus Caecilius Servilianus Zeus

   https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-127915

 Notes:

The alpha on the obverse legend M {A}Y appears to be missing on this obv die.
 RPC online has an example, not quite as clear, which is recorded as Λ. Maybe ΛA (ligate)?

[rennrad12020]

I've had this coin for a few months but failed to post due to the image.  I think this is my only coin issued under this governor (for now).

Pautalia Septimius Severus Honeratus snake

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-127958

Notes:

Stein reports that Honeratus served briefly at Thrace as governor under Septimius Severus.  Coins bearing this magistrate’s name appeared at Perinth, Philippopolis and Pautalia.

Mionnet incorrectly recorded the legend on several coins from Pautalia as T. NEPATI or ΛIΛ NEPATI. He records several: Asklepios, eagle, serpent between altars

Aelius or Caelius question seems to be resolved in this coin.

The specimen in Varbanov appears to be the exquisite coin attached.  The citation is from CNG mail auction 50 (23 6 99) lot 236.


JPW

[areich]

Wow, that's a spectacular coin.

[rennrad12020]

A couple of recent additions:

1.Hadrianopolis Antoninus Pius C. Iulius Commodus Orfitianus Galley

   https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-130041

2. Augusta Traiana Caracalla Sicinnius Kybele

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-130040

JPW

[rennrad12020]

Added this coin to the collection this week:

Bizya Antoninus Pius Pompeius Vopiscus  Dionysos enthroned left

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=lastup&cat=0&pos=0


I saw this same coin 9 years ago and couldn't solve the ethnic.  I came across the same coin last week and figured it out in 1 minute...


JPW

[rennrad12020]

I recently won this coin at auction:

Pautalia Caracalla Caecina Largus Adventus

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-159113

same dies as pretty attached coin .  Mionnet records EΠI instead of HΓ citing Com. Wiczay. Mus. Hederv. T. p. 9 No. 2399 later corrected by Sestini.  On my coin you can see a faint second line in exergue AC for the final two letters of the ethnic.

cf. Curtis Clay's discussion of a similar coin issued at Serdica during Geta's reign.

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=78619.0

This coin dates after the sestertius  RIC IV 719 (196AD), between governors Statilius Barbarus and Sicinnius Clarus, so 198-202.  This reverse  type is only recorded for Caracalla at Pautalia.  As far as I know this is the only issue and only die.  An earlier copy of the sestertius?


JPW

[rennrad12020]

I bought this coin a few months ago.  It is my first coin from this city in Thrace.

Plotinopolis Antoninus Pius male horseman right.

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-160874

A very rare city, especially for the large coins bearing the governor's name.  This type is one of the most common for Antoninus Pius at this city.  At first I thought it was an Imperator Eques reverse type, but the sources seem to agree that this type refers to some local deity.  RPC records one specimen in each of these major European collections: Paris, Vienna, Berlin, Cambridge.  The Berlin coin has a different reverse die.

My coin is much lighter than all the other examples @ 12.04.  The Paris specimen is the closest @ 16.94g.  The coin I attached from Kunker is a hefty 25.31g.  The Vienna coin is illustrated in RPC and appears to be a double die match.  An interesting feature of these large denominations from Plotinopolis is that they seem to have a large unused space in the exergue.


JPW

[rennrad12020]

I won this interesting coin a few weeks ago at auction.  It is from the collection of Jean-Pierre Righetti with his tag, inv no. 10124.

Hadrianopolis Antoninus Pius C. Iulius Commodus Orfitianus Tyche seated

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-161306

No other recorded examples of this reverse die.  RPC IV 9297 cites four other examples of this reverse type with a different rx die.  All other known specimens have ΛEITΩN in exergue. This coin has no inscription but one is able to distinctly discern water flowing in the exergue. The examples cited in RPC are from: Paris; Plovdiv; Sophia and Lischine.  In Jurukova's monograph the Sophia coin is illustrated on Table II. I attached my coin and the rx of the Paris specimen for comparison.


JPW

[rennrad12020]

Here's my latest addition:

Philippopolis Commodus Caecilius Servilianus (186?) Nike in slow biga right with serpents

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-161781


Mushmov Les Monnaies Antiques de Philippopolis (1924) 161; cf. Varbanov (E) III 940; cf. BMC 18; Mionnet Supp. II -; SNG Cop. –; RPC IV.1 7515 (temp); Righetti 303

RPC records the Righetti specimen which has serpents in front of the biga and BMC 18 which does not have the serpents under the same number 7515.  I think separate numbers would be better.  There are clearly two distinct dies extant with different legend arrangements in addition to the serpents.  Varbanov III (E) 940 is interesting in that it has the same rx die as Righetti 303 but it has a draped bust obv die instead of head. This could be a double match for Mushmov 161 as he was uncertain of the obv. on the coin in the Sophia collection.

It turns out that I have an exact match in my gallery already.  I just didn't discern the two serpents until I saw this clearer example,  My new coin is much nicer in hand than the seller's image.  The patina is a bright glossy green.

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-121340

I attached my new coin, a double die match CNG coin, BMC 18 rev, my old coin

JPW

[rennrad12020]

I picked up another Pautalia city-goddess issued during the reign of Antoninus Pius by Pompeius Vopiscus recently.

Pautalia Antoninus Pius Pompeius Vopiscus City-goddess AE32 20.07g


https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-162048

The reverse die on this coin is slightly different from the BMC #2 specimen. There is a slightly different legend break near the cornucopiae.   Ruzicka had a good handle on this. His #9 = BMC #2; #10 = Berlin and Paris specimens.  Mionnet must have recorded the one of the Paris coins and inaccurately referred to the legends. Mionnet does correctly assign the rarity of this reverse type as being more common than other coins issued under this magistrate at Pautalia. RPC records 7 specimens between the 2 variants (3 in the Paris collection). Most other reverse types have 2 or less specimens listed.  RPC records both reverse die variants as RPC IV 8749.  Unlike the coin I posted last time where the serpent variant was treated under the same listing, I think this is ok.  I would like to see a refinement of the listings in RPC for the Antonines, but as they are temporary numbers so I guess I can live with it for now.

There is a very interesting obv. die I found on acsearch with this rx die which appears to be unrecorded.  The Kunker coin from auction 193 lot 738 (26.09.2011) has an aegis on the bust with rx die Ruzicka #10.

I have some other coins which I'll try to post soon...

Attachments in order: Mine, BMC 2 rx (look at those scratches ouch!), Kunker with aegis


JPW

[rennrad12020]

I've added a couple of worn coins to my gallery.  Both offer interesting comparisons with coins in my gallery already.

#1 Hadrianopolis Antoninus Pius C. Iulius Commodus Orfitianus Tyche seated

   
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-166146

This is an example of Jurukova's #12 = Varbanov II(E) 3176 =RPC Antonine temp # 9297. Four examples: Paris, Lischne, Sophia and Plovdiv.  Mionnet records two examples; one from Vol. I with an incomplete reverse legend T. ΠONT...for magistrate p. 385 #142, the second with complete legend M. ΠONT. CABEINOY citing Vaillant's num. graeca. The first coin must be the Paris coin.  A. Stein notes that this is an incorrect reading but does reference Mionnet Supp. II on p.21 of Romische Reichsbeamte der Provinz Thracia (1920).  I think the second coin was in Vaillant's personal collection, but I need to double check. His coin could have very well ended up in the Royal collection. I'm skeptical a coin with this legend from this city exists, I think only coins from Philippopolis bear the name M. Pontius Sabinus.

My other example of this reverse, formerly in the Righetti collection, has same emperor and magistate but a different, unpublished rx die.
.

#2 Anchialos Commodus Hades Iulius Castus

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-166147

This coin was listed as having a Zeus reverse, but I think if you look closely one is able to discern the three heads of Cerberus.  I may be attune to this because I have another unpublished reverse of this type in my collection.  different obverse and reverse dies, same emperor and magistrate.