Hi everyone, I finally found a decent example of an Augustus comet denarius. My previous example was badly worn and had a hole punched in the center. This one is much nicer. The dealer agreed to let me put it on layaway, so I have to wait a few months until I have it in hand. In the meantime, I've been examining his photos. I don't doubt the authenticity of the coin, but there's a little spot on the reverse where the word "DIVVS" would be that I'm trying to figure out. The letters are mostly gone with only the "D", what looks like parts of the "VV", and maybe the upper tip of the "S" visible. It's kind of puzzling because the parts of the "VVS" are clearly struck, but the remaining parts are either missing or faint and displaced. Does this look like damage from clashed dies, or do you think some foreign material filled in part of the die? At any rate, this one is much clearer than my other example. This one is going into my coin box while the other one is going in my pocket as a good luck piece. Cheers, Joe
Here's the other one for comparison. The one above is much nicer, but the price jumped from $35 to almost $475! Still, if it didn't have the banker's marks and a full "DIVVS IVLIVS" inscription, I probably would be looking at spending $1,000 or so.
If the die axis is 6:00, then the area of the obverse at the 7:00 to 11:00 position--which also has a weak legend--would correspond to the area in question on the reverse. That would indicate a weak strike on that side and the metal from the flan simply didn't fill the dies on either the obverse or the reverse.
Another possibility is that the bankers" marks on the obverse damaged and flattened corresponding parts of the reverse. Note the banker's marks on center obv and see the raised area in the center of the comet? This is caused by the strength of the banker's punch displacing the metal. This was likely done on a table or other hard surface and could certainly obliterate parts of the legend at the same time.
Both of those occurred to me, but it just seems weird that parts of the letters would be clear and deeply struck and other parts soft. That's why I started thinking of die damage. I'm also wondering about the ghost images above the "VV". This forum has really been helpful. I read Doug's article on brockages and die clashes and found that really informative. I'm glad I found a nice example under $1,000. The prices on this coin type are unbelievable! I've also picked up the book "The Comet of 44 B.C. and Caesar's Funeral Games". Slow reading, but still very interesting. I've just gotten through the analysis of surviving personal letters among Caesar's contemporaries and their relation to dating the seasonal games vs. Caesar's funeral games and the implications for the actual date of the comet.
That's a very interesting example and the more I examine it, the more I like it---the two explanations/bankers marks add a lot of character to it.
The reverse may have been double-struck - note that there is some ghosting on parts of the comet rays as well - or the ghosting might be a characteristic of the metal being displaced by the blows from the numerous bankers' punches against a table. The mix of strong and weak legend can certainly be caused by the banker's punches, IMO. I don't think it's possible to conclude die damage from this particular coin, unless you find the same/similar damage on an otherwise unharmed example. Fun to think about, though. Maybe search through acsearch and coin archives to see if you can find matching damage on an unharmed coin.
I would have gone with... the one in your avatar! Seriously, though, that's a decent upgrade. But the "holey" was pretty doggone neat for $35, if I understood your post correctly. Still have it? Wanna sell it? I'd put it on my trademark hat.
I have always really enjoyed bankers marks. There are many on several of my coins. I always felt it proved and attested the coins' value, and were further transacted (their purpose!) Yours is a great Denarius with the bankers marks well set.
Here's mine. Doug Smith was looking at the same dealer's inventory when I bought it and thought the missing details was because of a thin or uneven flan.
lordmarcovan - I appreciate the offer, but my 'holey" example has become a good luck piece. I put it in a plastic holder and carry it in a padded pouch (see pic). Erin - Thanks for the cheer! This makes two neat Augustus coins this year! The other is a low-grade Augustus/Agrippa Nimes dupondius. Not much to look at, but I love the history behind it. Jamesicus - Love your example. I need to keep my eyes open for that type next. The ones with the legend above and below look neat. I can picture Augustus bitching about the inscription winding up off the flan and suggesting they move it to the center! Doug - Yours may have been beat with a hammer, but the comet and inscription look good. The nailhead just adds to it. As for the rest of you, thanks for the comments and keep them coming. I love reading them and always learn a lot from all of you. Cheers, Joe Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk
