New Gordian III and Tranquillina Marriage Commemorative

I can't resist a good deal on these big marriage commemoratives, and at $45 including buyer's commission, paypal fees, currency exchange fees and shipping, it was a good deal, IMHO.

It has just about everything: a compass dot, centration dimples, an E on the reverse denoting the pentassarion denomination, fairly clear and complete legends, a glossy black patina and a list of references longer than the list of assassinated Roman emperors! Well, not quite that many, but ...

Post anything you feel is relevant!


Gordian and Tranquillina AD 238-244
Roman provincial Æ pentassarion; 26 mm., 11.98 g
Thrace, Odessos, AD 241-244
Obv: AVT K M ANT ΓΟΡΔΙΑΝΟC AVΓ TPANKVΛ-ΛЄΙΝ, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Gordian III right, vis-a-vis diademed and draped bust of Tranquillina left
Rev: ΟΔΗCCЄΙΤΩΝ, Athena wearing crested helmet, standing facing, head left, holding shield and grounded spear, E to left
Refs: Varbanov 4555; AMNG 2382; Moushmov 1684; Lindgren III 814; SNG Cop 685; Mionnet Suppl II 951. 11.94

 

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That is an interesting one with Tranquillina's head larger than Gordian's. It also is a good example showing the raised layout dot between the portraits just above and slightly right of the centration pit. Odessos is not the most common of the cities that issued these twin portrait coins. I don't have one.

My favorite is this Tomis / Tyche which had the die modified to remove the denomination mark.


Anchialus with a nice figure of Aesculapius.


Singara with city goddess

 

I dig those glossy black patinas! Score RC!

 

Nice!

 

Agreed. Actually, that's the first double portrait coin from Odessos that I've seen. (And now I've seen two with the above example from Parthicus. Funny how that often happens.) Nice coin.

 

A couple more of this city from my collection. They are obverse die-matches with each other:

Serapis reverse:



Tyche reverse:

 

AE25 Anchialos
Gordian III and Tranquillina face to face, [...]ANT GORDIANO KAI CEB TRANKVL/ LINA

Diana with bow in l hand and patera in out streched r hand. Stag l at feet.
OVLPIANWN AGXIALEIN (=Anchialos)


I love the representation of the stag on this coin. I'm not sure about the denomination for this coin, which is not as large as the typical Pentassarion. It could be a Tetrassarion.

AE28 Markianopolis Pentassarion
Gordian III and Tranquillina face to face; AVTKMANT GORDIANOC AVG E(t) TRANKVA/LLINA

Athena in Athenian(?) helmet, stg l holding spear vertically in left hand, and with right hand holds her shield at feet .
VP TERTVLLIANON MARKIA[NAPOLI]TWN
E in left field (denomination)

The figure in the obverse inscription of her cognomen (at the end of its first line) is probably not intended to be an "A" but it looks like one to me. More likely it is an uncial "I."

 

Nice capture @Roman Collector ! Great price, great coin...


RI Prv Thrace Deultum Tranquillina 241-244 CE Æ 22mm 6-6 g Hermes purse caduceus SNG Bulgaria 1504-8

 

Wonderful posts!!!

Here's mine.....with the Nemesis reverse

 

Cool! I have that same coin, @Mikey Zee ! And it looks like a die match to yours on both obverse and reverse!

 

It certainly does...but mine looks like it had a horrible accident