So I've never been able to spot die matches. It was always mystifying to me to see how other collectors could casually and with confidence quickly identify die matches or links. And I don't have any fancy photo software to superimpose images to help confirm die matches. But in continuing to catalogue this university gift, I was researching my coin (top) and ran across this coin from an old Roma auction (bottom). It seems so close in so many details that I'm wondering if it's a die match. Honestly, it's probably so "off" that I'm just embarrassing myself with the suggestion. But it's how we learn. So, die match, yes or no? And, perhaps more importantly, how can we tell? EMPEROR: Caracalla REIGNED: 198-217 A.D. TYPE: AE 26 mm; Thrace; Provincial Bronze of Hadrianopolis SIZE: 26.32 mm. WEIGHT: 13.49 g. DIE AXIS: 180° OBVERSE: ΑVΤ Κ Μ ΑVΡ CΕV ΑΝΤ; Laureate bust right. REVERSE: ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟΠΟΛΕΙΤΩΝ; Naked figure of Apollo standing left, holding patera and branch, lit altar to left at feet. REFERENCES: Varbanov 3447 ; Moushmov 2610? NOTES: Some catalogues suggest the reverse figure is Bonus Eventus, not Apollo.
Yes. A die match on both obverse and reverse. The way to do it is to look at the inscriptions, which almost always have distinctive features in terms of letter spacing, shape, and relationship of the letters to the portrait and other devices. Unique features on the obverse include the placement of the final C (a little lower than the O) and the shape of the ribbon on the back of the head and the way it abuts the K in the inscription. Also the proximity of the IN and their slant at 3:00 in the obverse inscription. Unique features of the reverse include the big gap between the I and T at the 3:00 position and the slant of the I and the narrow space between the PI at the 9:00 position. Moreover, the relationship of the patera with the inscription is the same, as is the angle of Apollos elbows and the shape of the branch he is holding and the shape and location of the altar.
I say yes. It is not always easy to tell what differences were caused by the die and what by strike, environment etc. I'm 99% sure this is a match. Look at such things as the relation between the diadem ties and letters. Look at the letters that are just a little oddly shaped or a bit lower than their neighbors in line. See K and the final C. The more you look, the more matches you will find. Those interested in the subject might enjoy this page with its 'test' at the end. http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/dielink.html It is an update of my December 1995 Celator article but it is much easier to do from online images than from print.
Yay! Baby's first die match! Thanks for both of those generous replies. Does anyone care to speculate if die matches are more common among provincials--were there fewer coins struck from fewer dies as compared with non-provincial Roman mint activity, or is that an unfounded assumption? At any rate, I will happily take my die match. And I will take Doug's test soon to sharpen my skills.
Looks like yes, both obverse and reverse. It can be difficult to tell from photos. If the photo was shot from even a slightly different angle it can make the coin look different. One of the things I do aside from checking the legends is to try to measure certain features from one another. On this coin I had to look very carefully as it would appear the distance from the patera to the letter A is different, but I think its just the angle making it look that way.
FAR more common among provincials than imperial issues, as there were fewer dies in use. I have several provincial coins that are die matches with other examples sold at auctions or otherwise online. I don't have a single imperial issue that I've been able to die-match to anything.
It depends on which coins. There are rare coins, Imperial or Provincial, that are only known from one die set. Overall, I'd say you are more likely to find matches in Provincials if you have several specimens but you are less likely to have those several specimens. All this depends on the assumption that dies were used until they failed and this simply is not true. Some coins might have been made for a special purpose so the order was placed for a set number. Some dies became obsolete when there was a change in the political scene. Caracalla killed Geta on December 26, 211. What day do you think the Rome mint stopped striking Geta coins? I suspect the perfectly serviceable Geta dies were melted before the body was cold. Finding a die match on a very common coin (lets say a Constantinian bronze) would be pure dumb luck unless you found a hoard straight from mint bag to the dirt. Die studies of common coins are hard. Statisticians will explain to you how to figure the likely number of dies that were used based on the number of dies you find in a given number of specimens. If you have 100 coins and all are the same die, there probably was only one die. If you find 100 different dies in your 100 coin sample, chances are you have not seen anywhere near all the existing dies. Perhaps our CT statistician will fill in the details here.
Here's one on sale at V Coins. Not a die match to yours. Note the differences in the spacing and slant of the letters on the inscription and the angles of Apollo's elbows and the relative position of the patera and altar to the inscriptions and other devices.
Congratulations on the die match. I don't have much in the way of die matches. These provincial coins of Philip I from Pisidia, Antiochia are an obverse die match:
This is a good point. If you like to collect die-matched coins, head for the provincials. Some issues had very limited circulation and very short runs, and the mints only used a handful of dies.
LOL, @Gavin Richardson , looks like your OP is a candidate for @Deacon Ray 's "Coins that should be sold in Pairs" thread! https://www.cointalk.com/threads/coins-that-should-be-sold-in-pairs.292180/page-2#post-2669171
