Philip Arab

Av. IMP MIVL PHILIPPVS AVG
Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right
Rv. LIBERALITAS AVGG
Philip I+II seated left on platform, soldiers, Liberalitas, citizen
RIC 183 (without SC) 8,69g 24,5mm Dupondius

Information from Curtis Clay:

Vaillant (1674) reports both a sestertius and a middle bronze of this type, LIBERALITAS AVGG S C, the sestertius in a private collection, the As allegedly in the French royal collection.

However, there seems to have been no such middle bronze in the Paris collection by Cohen's day. Cohen 84-5 reports the sestertius from Vaillant, and an As not from Paris, but from the stock of the coin dealer Rollin.

The same As reported by Cohen 85 was also described in Rollin & Feuardent's stock catalogue of the 1880s, no. 5365. It was in Fine condition, which probably means VF by today's standards, so it should provide a reliable description of the type and legend.

AVGG in the legend is odd. One would expect AVGG II, assuming identity with the emperors' known second largesse of 245 AD.

II could be lacking on the dupondius offerred to you, but the condition is not good enough to make the reading very certain!

There is of course no reason why a dupondius of the type should not exist. I have never seen any coin of the type, sestertius, As, or dupondius. Unfortunately I don't have any dupondii from the same obv. die but a different rev. type in my rather small collection of casts of Philip I's middle bronzes.

Anyway I see no reason to doubt the authenticity of the coin, and it is welcome as providing the first physical confirmation of the reverse type described by Vailllant and Rollin & Feuardent.

Thanks to Curtis Clay