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 Replies: 12 / Views: 1,234 |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
701 Posts |
Hi all This coin has had me in fits over the past week trying to identify it, I don't even know who it is depicting which isn't any help  Decided to ask instead of struggling on Weight - 1.89g Size - 20mm x 15mm     The reverse image is something I have never seen before so any help would be much appreciated. TIA |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
4208 Posts |
Well, its clearly provincial, but I cant make any sense of the legends. It looks like a captive tied to a post.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1045 Posts |
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
The reverse makes me think that there is the possibility that it is an ancient 'naughty' token, perhaps of an eastern Roman colonial town.
Perhaps an ancient brothel token.
I have never seen a nude female figure depicted on a Roman colonial coin in such a manner.
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Moderator
 Australia
16832 Posts |
It is indeed from Nicaea - reverse legend NIKAEWN. And it is indeed a nude, but not a female; It's the "infant Dionysius" in a cradle, holding the wand of Dionysius, the thyrsos. Wildwinds has a very similar design listed under Julia Domna and Geta; I suspect this one is actually Caracalla. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Pillar of the Community
 United Kingdom
701 Posts |
Many thx SAP  I at least have a " period " for its production but was unable to find it under Caracalla. The obverse legend reads something like " ANTONINO " and the reverse is " NIKAE( O )M, The o is that funny greek letter which I keep forgetting the name for. I also noticed several other provincial coins ( which I own ) that I don't know the id for which was a bonus  Thx again Edited by tenbobbit
04/10/2015 10:23 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
949 Posts |
It sounds like SAP nailed it, tenbobbit. The name "Caracalla" was a nickname and not part of his formal name. The obverse legend you posted gives the Greek form of the cognomen for his real name Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. SAP also gave the correct form of the reverse legend with a final N not M. The letter omega, which looks like a horseshoe on the coin, is represented by a "W" in his transcription.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4964 Posts |
what a cool little provincial...and good eye sap!
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
701 Posts |
Thx lrbguy for that bit of info I still havnt found a match yet, more searching later. |
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Moderator
United States
23731 Posts |
I agree that it's from Nicaea, but the bust looks more like Antioninus Pius than Caracalla to me.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
949 Posts |
I tend to doubt that this coin can be attributed to Antoninus Pius.
At Nicea, Bithynia the more common obverse legends for the coins of Antoninus Pius contain the elements AVTO KAICAP ANTWNINOC, whereas for Caralla the more common elements are ANTWNINOC AVGOVCTOC. The KAICAP (Ceasar) element, or one of its abbreviations, is usually present for Pius, even for smaller module coins such as AE17-19, and invariably appears ahead of the cognomen when it is present. No such element is present here, nor is there room for an abbreviation of it. On the other hand, the imperial title AVGOVCTOC (Augustus)is often abbreviated or omitted altogether (cf Mionnet 697) on coins of Caracalla and usually appears AFTER the cognomen when present. The last letter I see clearly is the omicron, but there is one more letter present, which I presume to be a final sigma.
Moreover the portrait is not typical of the coins of Pius on display at Wildwinds, with one exception. At Wildwinds there is an AE15 attributed to Antoninus Pius with the obverse legend of ANTWN-EINOC AVGO (RecGen 119) from Dane's collection. Nov. 2011. This I believe is misattributed and belongs with Caracalla. The portrait on that coin is of a much younger man than Pius is usually portrayed, but is consistent with some of the busts of Caracalla, particularly those in which he is radiate.
Edited by lrbguy
04/10/2015 6:23 pm
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Moderator
United States
23731 Posts |
Just a thought that it might be him.
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
701 Posts |
Hi SKI, I still cant find a match anywhere for it, yes there are issues for J/Domna & Geta but I cant find this 1 for Sept Sev either. It looks like they are a family issue as I cant find it anywhere else under any other emperors in the Severan dynasty. Maybe its rarer than I thought ? The search goes on |
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Replies: 12 / Views: 1,234 |
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Posted 04/10/2015 06:48 am
