The Truth

[Marius]

Hi Friends,
Here's an interesting reverse legend:  VERITAS.  RIC doesn't list this reverse for Antioch, but that is where I believe the coin was minted.  The figure is Uberitas, and one would expect the reverse to state VBERITAS AVG but the coin is missing the "B".  What makes this coin fun, is that VERITAS means something: Truth.  What is more, a friend of mine in Germany is an expert on Decius' coins, and he told me that this "error" exists with five different dies (I admit that it seems like a lot considering the rarity of VERITAS coins), so it is not just a simple oversite.  I think that the engraver mistakenly thought that he should be writing "truth" until some point when he was corrected, but not before making many coins using at least five dies.  Antioch was pretty good at making blundered legends, so it's also possible that they stumbled upon the truth unintentionally
I would welcome your thoughts.

[Jochen]

A nice and convincing idea!

regards

[Rupert]

Very nice, your specimen is in much better condition than mine. I bought mine (which is from quite different dies, maybe even a different hand?) last year, very probably from your specialist friend; but if I remember it correctly, he said there were four dies; maybe he found the fifth in the meantime. Anyway, too many dies to call it a coincidence. My coin has another spelling error, well visible with the coin in hand; the obv. legend reads TRAINUS instead of TRAIANUS.

Rupert

PS: Some weeks ago I saw the best spelling error so far on this board: a Sev. Alex. denarius with VIRUS (for VIRTUS) AUG.

[curtislclay]

     It was quite possible for provincial mints to make a mistake and then repeat it on numerous dies.  I don't doubt that that is the case here. 
     The lady depicted is clearly Uberitas.  No personification of Veritas was known to the ancient world, to judge from the lack of any entry for her in LIMC.
      A neat error nonetheless, and falling in a rare series, Antioch antoniniani of Decius!
      Rupert, when was the omitted A in TRAINVS noticed?  By the dealer, by you before purchase, or by you after purchase?
       Can one of you provide me with the e-mail of the German Trajan Decius expert?  Decius' coinage, and especially the chronology of his reign, are important concerns of mine too.

[Rupert]

The Ebay offer said nothing about the obverse spelling error, and I only noticed it a few days after receiving it, so maybe I was the first to notice. Since the seller is specializing in TD coins, he might have kept it otherwise. I mailed you what I know about the seller.

Rupert

[Marius]

Rupert, 
The seller didn't know that there had been an obverse spelling.  I sent him the link to this page and he e-mailed back something funny, all within four letters, to describe his dismay.  Nice catch on your party.  Antioch Decius and Gallus antoninianii are a gold mine for finding this type of error. 
If you have a pictre of the Sev. Alexander "VIRVS" coin plese post it - that is a funny one. 
Best regards,
Richard

[maridvnvm]

If you are referring to my Sev. Alex. VIRVS AVG, here it is...

Regards,
Martin

[Ed Flinn]

I've posted the first of these here before, Salonina VINO REGINA from Antioch, but they seem appropriate here.

[Heliodromus]

IN VINO VERITAS!

Perhaps drunken celators revealing the truth about their lying (but wishing for the ability to tell the truth) drunken patrons!

Ben