The coins of Postumus come in two basic types, ones I can afford and ones I can't. The problem is most of the really neat types fall in that latter category. One of the better (IMHO) types of the low priced set is the galley with Laetitia Avg reverse. It suffers from a ragged break on the edge where the casting sprues separated in a bad way (now being discussed on another thread here) and a less than great portrait (scraggly beard compared to some) but it has a nice ship with helmsman and rower heads. I suppose this is a coin that might get upgraded but it followed me home from the show Saturday. Perhaps a stupid question or two: Did the die cutter intend to show the ship was moving quickly when he cut the oars bent? Laetitia is a word in Latin with more than one meaning. Which was meant here and how does it relate to the ship? What was Postumus glad about?
Laetitia in this case is pictured as the ship , with Postumus himself steering it and bringing joy and prosperity to his people. The oars are bent in the wrong position , unless the galley is sailing backwards. A galley sailing to the left ,as is the case here, means usually that the emperor is coming home from a journey, the legend above is then FELICITATE.
The galley is going to the left. The oarsmen have their backs to the left. As they pull and the tips of the oars dig into the water, the oars might bend a bit, and if they did, that is how they would bend. The oars are not bent wrong.
One way to be certain is the placement of the "steering board", the longer, oversized oar or board to control the direction of a ship prior to the invention of the rudder.
Beautiful coin! The bent oars may have been an artistic shorthand for movement or speed such as motion lines in cartooning. I've always enjoyed coins that feature nautical images. Ships and prows and anchors.
Hadrian - - left oars straight Caracalla - left - oars straight Allectus - right - oars straight The OP coin had curved oars suggesting pressure applied. Most show the oars pointed to the stern but gliding after a stroke rather than under pressure. The Republican below shows ship left with straight oars before starting to pull. The best galley coin is the 3/4 front view right with oars all over the place.
Very nice collection of galley's Doug. Everything looks normal the way the oars are pictured. The celator of the reverse of the OP coin probably wasn't a sailor and never set a foot on a galley imho. Makes the OP coin an exception among galley pictured coins.
