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Philip II - world rarity!

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Numerianus:
Philip I AD 244-249 Antoninianus "In the year AD 246." Obv: IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG - Radiate bust right, draped and cuirassed. Rev: P M TR P III COS P P - Felicitas standing left holding caduceus and cornucopia. Rome mint: AD 246 (5th Issue, 1st Officina) = RIC IViii, 3, page 68 - Cohen 124/ 3.89 g.

The description   is of the most common coins of Philip I.
But it is not the case:

http://ettuantiquities.com/Philip_1/Philip2-4.htm#UNK02

So, the price 526.38  USD was not excessive! Bravo!



bpmurphy:
This is Philip II.

The type is fairly common for Philip I from Rome. This is an Antioch mint coin and I don't recall having seen this issue for Philip II.

Barry Murphy

curtislclay:
The eventual purchaser asked me about this coin and I answered:

Jim,
      A couple of other specimens of this coin are known.
      I think it is neat, because it proves what I had postulated, that the Antioch mint was reviving OUTDATED Roman reverses in later years.
      No way can this coin have been struck in 246 as TR P III would suggest, since Philip II was only Caesar, not Augustus, in that year.  No; it was struck after mid-247 when Philip II became Augustus, and the Antioch mint blithely copied the TR P III rev. from circulating Roman coins without caring that it was anachronistic!
      The absence of any Antioch coins of Philip II as Caesar strongly suggests that the mint was only instituted after mid-247.  In other words the TR P III coins of Philip I too were not struck in 246, but anachronistically in 247-8!
      I'd like to get such a coin for myself and BM, but won't pay over $400 where the AAH spec. is hovering!.  It is however a very nice and interesting coin.  Will you join the fray?
Yours,
Curtis

Numerianus:
One more question, Curtis.

How to explain this discordance beween TRP and COS (the coins from the main supply and
very similar in fabric, even with a similar cracks of the flans):
RIC233
http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/ric/philip_II/RIC_0233.jpg
PM TR P IIII COS II PP

RIC236
http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/ric/philip_II/RIC_0236.jpg
PM TR P VI COS P P

curtislclay:
    When Antioch was merely copying Roman rev. types, naturally they got the titles right, because they were right on the Roman coins.
    Soon, however, they began introducing their own errors into the Roman legend copied:  so we find P M TR P IIII COS P P instead of the correct COS II.
    When they composed their own legend in 249, they made the same error of not numbering the consulship:  P M TR P VI COS P P, coupled with the old Felicitas type of the Roman coins, but also two new types independently selected, namely Emperor sacrificing and radiate lion walking r. or l.

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