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Author Topic: A curiosity  (Read 1056 times)

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Offline Abu Galyon

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A curiosity
« on: August 17, 2021, 10:32:07 am »
Half follis, Heraclius SBCV 815, 24x20mm, 4.27g

I bought this recently (for about the price of a flat white at my local coffee shop) because I didn’t understand the reverse and wanted a closer look. What I think is going on is an overstrike in which both the overtype and the undertype are half-folles from the A officina, with their alignments positioned so that the vertical of the large K in the overtype lines up perfectly with the lower angled leg of the large K in the undertype. What are the chances of that? Or am I misunderstanding the coin?

Bill R.

Offline Pekka K

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Re: A curiosity
« Reply #1 on: August 17, 2021, 11:33:38 am »

Maybe reverse is double struck with 2 different dies turned 180
degrees from each other.

Pekka K

Offline SC

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    • A Handbook of Late Roman Bronze Coin Types 324-395.
Re: A curiosity
« Reply #2 on: August 17, 2021, 04:44:31 pm »
Why two different dies?  Couldn't it just be a simple double-strike?

The two officinal A characters look like they could be the same but maybe I am missing another indicator.

SC
SC
(Shawn Caza, Ottawa)

Offline Abu Galyon

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Re: A curiosity
« Reply #3 on: August 17, 2021, 05:41:01 pm »
A double strike is certainly a possibility and the two A letters are quite similar. But I might have expected to see some trace of the double strike on the obverse also, which I cannot detect.

Bill R.

Offline Pekka K

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Re: A curiosity
« Reply #4 on: August 18, 2021, 01:41:40 am »

Under Roman times mint used 2 reverse dies simultaneously
to speed up striking and keep heating of die under control.

Here obverse doesn't show double strike, as the flan didn't move
between strikes.

Pekka K

Offline Abu Galyon

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Re: A curiosity
« Reply #5 on: August 18, 2021, 06:23:12 pm »
That's very helpful, Pekka K. Thank you. I clearly didn't know enough about the striking process. And how were the dies marked to try to ensure that the person holding the die was using the correct orientation?

Bill R.


 

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