Sev Alexander Rev Legend

[samnite]

I have a Severus Alexander denarius, Obv. legend IMP.SEV.ALEXAND.AVG, laureate head right.  Reverse is Salvs seated on throne feeding snake, but I cannot find reverse legend listed.  Legend reads S A * * * * S V L A S.  The non-asterixed letters are perfectly clear--could legend be SALVS INSVLAS?  Any reference help would be appreciated.  Thanks in advance.

Ron

[curtislclay]

      There was a specimen of your coin in the Reka Devnia hoard, reported in BMC 1084*.  I also have one in my current collection which I hope will end up in BM.
      Rev. legend is SALVS P SVLAS.  That's the correct beginning of the intended legend SALVS PVBLICA, followed by a second SALVS written backwards!  
      This interpretation is my own little discovery, made some 15 or 20 years ago, and I haven't seen it published anywhere.
      I would like to see an image of your coin.  It seems likely that this mistake was made on only one rev. die!

[samnite]

Thanks for the quick response.  Now that you supply the explanation, I can see the bottom of the S and P where most of the letter is off the flan.

Does your information mean there are only three known specimens of this coin--yours, mine, and the horde specimen?  That's kind of neat.

Sorry, but I don't have an operable scanner or digital camera.  Whenever one becomes available, I will scan and send to you.  

Ron

[samnite]

     There was a specimen of your coin in the Reka Devnia hoard, reported in BMC 1084*.  I also have one in my current collection which I hope will end up in BM.
      Rev. legend is SALVS P SVLAS.  That's the correct beginning of the intended legend SALVS PVBLICA, followed by a second SALVS written backwards!  
      This interpretation is my own little discovery, made some 15 or 20 years ago, and I haven't seen it published anywhere.
      I would like to see an image of your coin.  It seems likely that this mistake was made on only one rev. die!

Curtis

Now that I have a scanner, I thought I'd post the image of this coin.  Does the reverse match your die?  As I asked before, would you say there are only three known examples of this coin?

Ron

[curtislclay]

Ron,
      Thanks for posting the image.
      Your coin is DIFFERENT dies both sides from that in the Reka Devnia hoard, illustrated in the publication, pl. V, 75!
      How did the engravers manage to DUPLICATE such a blatant error?
      My own spec. is unfortunately not easy to find among a mess of unordered recent accessions, but when it turns up I'll inform the board about its dies!
Regards,
Curtis Clay

[Robert_Brenchley]

I think you'd have to postulate an illiterate, severely dyslexic celator!