Hello Philp P!
I would like to show you how I went about determining your coin. When determining the coin, we have to start from the facts, that are
still present on the coin, even the smallest(!). And that is what we have:
Obv.: Male
bust, draped and
cuirassed, seen from front,
radiate (look at the spikes on
his head!), r.
Rev.: [.....] - Φ OV NIKOΠOΛ[...]. The Φ somewhat weaker, but clear!
Female goddess in long garment and mantle, standing frontal,
head l., holding
in left
arm cornucopiae and in extended right hand unknown object.
Conclusions:
(1) It is a
provincial coin from
Nicopolis ad Istrum.
(2) It was struck under the governor Novius Rufus. There is no other governor whose name ends in ΦOV. This makes it
Elagabal, AD 218-222.
Now it is a matter of details. The most important is that the
cornucopiae ends at the top between the letter Φ and OV, leaving a gap between Φ and OV!
If you are lucky enough to have the monograph "The Coinage of
Nicopolis ad Istrum" by
Hristova-Hoeft-Jekov, you can now look for the coin. As co-editor, I have all the editions.
My procedure:
(1) I go to
Elagabal.
(2) I seek out the goddesses with a
cornucopiae(3) I look for those with a
legend break of POV- ΦOV. There are several. I look for one where the
cornucopiae has a gap between Φ and OV. And, voila!, there is only one:
It's
HrHJ (2020) 8.26.36.7.
And it also fits that it has enough space below the goddess for 2 lines in the
exergue, and it also fits the shape of the hanging ribbons of the
radiate crown!
Here is the exact description:
Moesia inferior,
Nikopolis ad Istrum,
Elagabal, AD 218-222
struck under the governor Novius Rufus
Obv.:
AVT K M AVP - ANTΩNEINOC
Bust, draped and
cuirassed, seen from front,
radiate, r.
Rev. VP NOBIOV POV - ΦOV NIKOΠOΛIT
in
exergue in 2 lines ΩN ΠPOC / ICTP
Homonoia (
Concordia) in long garment and mantle, standing frontal, looking l.,
holding
cornucopiae in left
arm and
patera in extended right hand.
Ref. a)
AMNG I/1, 1966
var. (has AVPH and ΠPOC I /
CTP)
b)
Varbanov 3916 (same dies)
c) Hristova/Jekov/Jekov (2020) 8.6.36.7 (same dies)
This is to show that even such a coin can
still be identified if you have the right literature and know what to look for. And some playing with contrasr and brightness.
With kind regards
Jochen