Recently I too acquired an AE 32 of
Macrinus from Bithynium, from yet a fourth
obverse die and with the new
reverse type of
Serapis seated, wearing calathos, extending hand over three-headed monster at
his feet,
legend BIThVNI - E - WN ADPI around, ANWN in
exergue. 17.85 gr., yellow metal, with rotation dimples like the three Aulock coins, see scan below.
All four of these large
Macrinus obverse dies at Bithynium show a curious arrangement of the
obverse legend: the final word
AVG is separated from the rest of the
legend and placed right
side up under the
bust, as though it were the last word of a
reverse legend being placed right
side up in the
exergue.
The wear and centering of the BM AE 27 of
Macrinus at Bithynium prevent us from seeing whether its
obverse legend too was arranged in the same odd fashion. No other
obverse legend on coins of Bithynium of other emperors illustrated in RG and
SNG von Aulock shows this quirk, however, and I cannot recollect seeing it on a
Roman provincial coin of any other
mint either.
Can
Forvm members show other coins of
Macrinus at Bithynium? I found none in
CoinArchives,
Wildwinds,
Berk photofile,
Lindgren, Kraft's System, or Peus' Burstein Sale.
With at least five coins of
Macrinus now known from this
mint, we might expect one of
Diadumenian to turn up too, but apparently none are known to Forvm's
Diadumenian specialist, Malcolm
Megaw!