Author Topic: Nicopolis - Elagabalus? (Read 8332 times)

Steve Minnoch · « **on:** April 03, 2004, 03:30:03 am »

Hello,
I'm looking for confirmation (or correction) as to whether the portrait on this coin features Elagabalus.

I can't claim to be particularly good at distinguishing Elagabalus and Caracalla (it's probably the most common problem I encounter) but the portrait on this coin to me looks very close to a coin listed on Wayne Sayles site which is certainly Elagabalus (given it names the legate Nobius Rufus).

Thanks for any help,
Steve

featherz · « **Reply #1 on:** April 03, 2004, 10:46:25 am »

Yes, this is Elagabalus.

I have one which appears to have the same dies.

Steve Minnoch · « **Reply #2 on:** April 03, 2004, 04:12:05 pm »

Thanks Heather, I agree the dies are the same, and it's particularly good to have my extrapolation of the full obverse legend confirmed!

Want to swap? (just kidding

)

Steve

curtislclay · « **Reply #3 on:** April 03, 2004, 07:35:57 pm »

For coins with three different rev. types all naming the governor Nov. Rufus in the legend, struck from the SAME OBV. DIE as Steve's and Heather's coins, see Blancon List 41, 2003, nos. 854, 860, 896.
All coins of Nicopolis naming Rufus as governor are traditionally, and certainly correctly, assigned to the reign of Elagabalus.

Steve Minnoch · « **Reply #4 on:** February 01, 2006, 06:33:17 am »

I'm reviving this long dormant thread as I have discovered three few coins, all on coinarchives, that share the same obverse die as the coins under discussion, and name Novius Rufus on the reverse, thus illustrating the incontrovertible proof Curtis gave us almost 2 years ago.

I'll also post pics two other coins I have subsequently found which share the same dies.

Steve

Steve Minnoch · « **Reply #5 on:** February 01, 2006, 06:40:36 am »

Top image from William Peters' site
http://aeratvs.com/provincial/Elagabalus02.html
http://www.coinarchives.com/a/lotviewer.php?LotID=26115&AucID=28&Lot=368
Sadly image can only be quite small, extracted as it is from a multiple-coin lot.
Final image from wildwinds

Steve

basemetal · « **Reply #6 on:** February 23, 2006, 10:25:12 pm »

I've got one. It resembls the third in Steve's post. Elagabalus never looked so old.

Jochen · « **Reply #7 on:** May 14, 2006, 07:43:50 pm »

I add my Elagabal too to have all at once.

Moesia inferior, Nikopolis ad Istrum, Elagabal AD 218-222
AE 26, 10.74g
obv. AVT KM AVRH - ANTONINOC
Bust, laureate, r.
rev. N / IKOP / OLITW / N PROC / ICTRO / N (in 6 lines)
in oak(!) wreath
BMC 69

I think it is from the same dies as Steve's and featherz' coins above.

Best regards

slokind · « **Reply #8 on:** May 14, 2006, 08:00:12 pm »

Yes, I think they are all the same, as you say. And here is their 'cousin' with Novius Rufus's name in the wreath legend. Pat

29 01 03 AE 27 Nicopolis ad Istrum. Issued by Rufus. Elagabalus, laureate, draped bust to r. AVT K M AVRE ANTONEINOS. Rev., legate and ethnic in wreath, with • at top. VP / NOBIOV / ROVPhOV / NIKOPOLI / TOmegaNPROS / ISTROmega, all with squared lunates. Pick, AMNG I, 1, no. 2006, letter perfect; variant published die pairs include Varbanov I, no. 3104 (Pick 2009) and Cop SNG 2, no. 285 (Pick 2010), both with radiate heads.

berserkrro · « **Reply #9 on:** October 25, 2009, 11:43:19 am »

I also contribute with mine, subject of this thread:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=57254.0

Jochen · « **Reply #10 on:** October 25, 2009, 12:32:19 pm »

Another one.

Elagabal, AD 218-222
AE 26, 10.67g
struck under legate Novius Rufus
obv. AV KM AVRH - ANTWNINOC
Head, laureate, r., on l. shoulder slighly draped
rev. VP NOBIOV ROVFOV NIKOPOLITWN P / RO - C I / CT - O / N (sic!)
Eagle with spread wings, stg. frontal, head with wreath in beak l.
AMNG I/1, 1994 (1 ex., Löbbecke); Varbanov (engl.) 4010 var. (cites AMNG 1994 but has a different obv. legend and doesn't mention the drapery!)
very rare, about VF
From Forum Ancient Coins, thanks!

Pick writes: It seems that the R of ICTRON is missed. But it is possible that the O is a faint ligature of R and O. The portrait type with the drapery on the left shoulder is very rare.

Best regards

berserkrro · « **Reply #11 on:** October 26, 2009, 01:52:43 am »

On my coin, "

O" from "NIK O

O

IT N" is missing and at "

POC", "

and P" are in ligature.

Jochen · « **Reply #12 on:** October 26, 2009, 07:07:33 am »

Hi berserkrro!

Now I remember that I too have a coin with a similar legend error even with the ligate PR (see attachment). We have had a thread about that. It was suggested that this could be a usual abbreviation of the ethnic.

Best regards

berserkrro · « **Reply #13 on:** October 26, 2009, 07:18:19 am »

Thanks Jochen! Yours have "NIPOLITON" and mine "NIKOLITON"

Anyway, these abbreviations could have been done "legally" since they are so present. The mistery for me remains the reverse's god identity. Maybe slokind is right and the engraver has missed something, or not fully understood the subject. Best regards!

curtislclay · « **Reply #14 on:** October 26, 2009, 10:37:58 am »

Quote from: berserkrro on October 26, 2009, 07:18:19 am

Yours has "NIPOLITON" and mine "NIKOLITON" Anyway, these abbreviations could have been done "legally" since they are so present.

I don't think these can be intended abbreviations of the city name. In both cases the engraver left out two letters BY MISTAKE, in my opinion.

The two specimens known to AMNG 1929 were both illegible in this part of the rev. legend, so Pick naturally restored the full legend, NIK[OPOL]ITWN. Now we can see that this was an error: the city's name is actually written NIKOLITWN. AMNN 1929 needs to be corrected in this regard. There can be little doubt that the same rev. die was involved in all cases!

berserkrro · « **Reply #15 on:** October 26, 2009, 01:31:54 pm »

If not an abbreviation, the presence of this specimen is good at least to help us restore the real legend. I wonder if the small one from this page cannot be seen in a better picture somewhere. The reverse is much better than mine's. Do we know what auction is involved?

curtislclay · « **Reply #16 on:** October 26, 2009, 01:54:00 pm »

Steve M's link to CoinArchives no longer works, and I don't find this image in CoinArchivesPro, searching for "Elagab and Nicopolis" or "Elagab and Nikopolis".

berserkrro · « **Reply #17 on:** October 26, 2009, 02:14:10 pm »

I guess it was a lot (Steve Minnoch said "extracted as it is from a multiple-coin lot") but I'm not sure it was about this coin. It's a good chance to be so. Unfortunatelly we don't know how the lot was described. So we can only wait for another (better) one.

Steve Minnoch · « **Reply #18 on:** October 26, 2009, 10:38:01 pm »

I'm sure the image above was taken from the largest available image of the entire lot, and I cut out and combined just the coin of interest. If I recall correctly there weren't details of the individual coins provided.

Curtis: if you go into the details of any lot available in coinarchivespro, is the url that is shown in the browser address bar the same format as:
[DEAD LINK REMOVED BY ADMIN]
but with a different main url? If so you could try substituting the numbers from the address above.

Steve

archivum · « **Reply #19 on:** December 22, 2009, 11:38:54 am »

That earlier misspelling-thread mentioned in Reply #12: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=43784.msg274955#msg274955

News:

Author Topic: Nicopolis - Elagabalus? (Read 8332 times)

basemetal