What's that animal?

Busy cataloguing my Roman coins, and now I have a problem. The left antoninianus (Gallienus) clearly has a goat on its reverse. But what's the beast on that of Philip II, the right one? It has horns and a beard, but it's not exactly proud and elegant like the left one.

 

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Looks like a gazelle

 

But does a gazelle have a beard? Besides, one expects a gazelle to be elegant, graceful.

 

Goat, I'd say, but it looks like Philip's die cutters varied quite a bit in skill...

https://www.cngcoins.com/Search.asp...R_TYPE_ID_2=1&SEARCH_IN_CONTAINER_TYPE_ID_4=1

 

That explains a lot!

 

Thanks. So Gallienus just had a brilliant goatist.

 

Have you seen the hippos that were done for Philip's wife?

https://www.cngcoins.com/Search.aspx?PAGE_NUM=&PAGE=1&TABS_TYPE=2&CONTAINER_TYPE_ID=1&IS_ADVANCED=1&ITEM_DESC=Philip antoninianus hippopotamus &ITEM_IS_SOLD=1&SEARCH_IN_CONTAINER_TYPE_ID_1=1&SEARCH_IN_CONTAINER_TYPE_ID_3=1&SEARCH_IN_CONTAINER_TYPE_ID_2=1&SEARCH_IN_CONTAINER_TYPE_ID_4=1

Some do look like hippos, others more like tapirs, boars or cartoonish bear cubs.

 

That is one of my favorite reverses. Hard to get in "mintstate"

 

I'll go with goat because of the beard. The die cutter was not very skilled or had never seen a deer/gazelle and was guessing (just like I'm guessing).

GALLIENUS
Antoninianus
OBVERSE: GALLIENVS AVG, radiate head right
REVERSE: IOVI CONS AVG, Goat standing or walking right, Digamma in ex.
Struck at Rome, Sole Reign, 267-268 AD
3.8g, 22mm
RIC VI 207, right

GALLIENUS
Antoninianus
OBVERSE: GALLIENVS AVG, radiate head right
REVERSE: DIANAE CONS AVG, antelope walking left
Struck at Rome, Sole Reign, 267-268 AD
2.6g, 19.5mm
RIC 181


OTACILIA SEVERA
Æ Sestertius
OBVERSE: MARCIA OTACILIA SEVERA AVG, diademed and draped bust right
REVERSE: SAECVLARES AVGG, SC in ex, Hippopotamus standing right, head raised
Struck at Rome, 248 AD
18.6g, 30mm
RIC 200a, Cohen 65
ex Warren Esty

 

is it a "beard" on the philip animal or some plants he is munching on?

 

I wouldn't expect anybody been portrayed eating on any coin.

 

Poor Otacilia, was she flattered? Don't think so. One of those coins has a very realistic, fearsome hippo. So I'm not surprised somebody paid $800 for it.

 

Winna-winna!!




Pellimore => I love "both" of your OP-goat examples ... I only have a lousy Gallienus panther (no goat examples) ... man, I need more coins!!

 

Yours is a great hippo, although it looks ready to give a great bark. Do hippos bark? No, I think they grunt.

 

I might have called the beast a moose which those in the UK call elk.

These animals were strange and wonderful sights to the Romans. I see nothing odd about the die cutters having trouble rendering things they only saw once in the arena. The series was in honor of the 100th anniversary games. We get the wolf and twins, lion, hippo and ....... goat just seems too ordinary.

 

not Goat 4 sure
Dinosaurs?

 

You are probably right. But the Gallienus animal obviously IS a goat. It could well be a very special and beautiful goat though.

 

You call that a moose?

=> this is a moose!!

 

I would have said stag but the beard does confuse the issue.