Commodus denarius reverse legend variant

[timka]

Hi!

I have a denarius of Commodus missing V on the reverse - it reads SOL instead of SOLV, as it should be. I thought it was a common mistake done by engraver, but it appeared it could be a variant as my coin is not the only one.  

I learned there were 12 denarii of RIC 262 found in Lliria hoard (Valencia museum). It turned out that 3 out of 12 coins have shortened variant SOL, 2 coins are illegible, and 7 coins have the full SOLV on reverse.

http://numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.3.com.262

2 coins in British Museum have the full SOLV. Also, all 13 coins from Reka Denvia hoard are noted with the full SOLV (but shorter variant could be overlooked).

In terms of the die links, my coin is ob/rev die match to one of the coins from Lliria hoard. The other two coins from the hoard seem to have the same reverse die (but different obverse dies). So, it seems there are at least two reverse dies with shorten reverse legend - SOL.  Below I enclosed the photos of the reverses from Lliria hoard. May be the die cutter repeated mistake several times).

I wonder if the missing V incurred any changes in the meaning, or such occurrence was a logical shortening of SOLV to SOL in eyes of the cutter? Do I understand correctly that in this case V is not digit 5, but letter V? Also, was SOL noted by scholars who wrote on coinage of Commodus?

Ob. L AEL AVREL COMM AVG P FEL Head of Commodus, laureate, right
Rev. VOTA SOL PRO SAL P R Commodus, veiled, togate, standing left, sacrificing over lighted altar from patera in right hand; by tripod, bull

RIC 262 (var)

 2,52g - 18x17mm - 0'

Thanks much for your time.

Z.

[curtislclay]

This variant not previously written into my BMC, nor noted in Roman Silver Coins or in Kaiser-Raiss, Münzprägung des Commodus. But as you state, such a variant is easy to overlook!

SOLV or SOL stand for SOLVTA, so of course the V is a U not a 5.

Reminds me of the type VOTA SOLVT DEC COS III of Caracalla in 208, BMC 578, 6 spec. in RD hoard. I have the variant SOLVTA for SOLVT, acquired from Barry Murphy in 2006.

[timka]

Curtis, thank you for your time for checking this type with the references available to you...also, thanks much for clearing up the meaning of V! - I did not  have a clue what it stood for....now it makes sense why it was dropped by one of the die-cutters on several dies. 

[okidoki]

Well spotted Mr. Z 

[timka]

THX, Eric!