There must not have been very many obverse dies used for this coin -- which arrived this morning from France via Federal Express, four days after I ordered it -- because I've never seen so many die matches to one of my coins. Some of them look like they're probably reverse die matches as well. Diadumenian Caesar, AE Tetrassarion (4 Assaria), 218 AD (May-8 June), Nicopolis ad Istrum [Nikyup, Bulgaria] Mint, Moesia Inferior, Statius Longinus, Consular Legate. Obv. Bareheaded bust of Diadumenian right, draped and armored, seen from behind, M OPEL DIADOV-MENIANOC K (OV ligate) [ = Marcus Opellius Diadumenianus, Caesar] / Rev. Artemis, wearing short chiton, walking right, holding bow in left hand and drawing arrow from quiver in right hand, hound jumping behind her left foot, VΠ CTA ΛONΓINOV NIKOΠOΛITΩN ΠPOC I / CTPΩ in exergue [ = Consular legate Statius Longinus, (Governor) of the residents of Nikopolis on the (river) Istros]. AMNG I/I 1843 [Pick, Behrendt, Die antiken Münzen von Dacien und Moesien, Die antiken Münzen Nord-Griechenlands Vol. I/I (Berlin, 1898) at p. 467]; Varbanov I 3743 [Varbanov, Ivan, Greek Imperial Coins And Their Values, Volume I: Dacia, Moesia Superior & Moesia Inferior (English Edition) (Bourgas, Bulgaria, 2005) at p. 308]; Hristova-Hoeft-Jekov 8.25.13.3 [Hristova, H., H.-J. Hoeft, & G. Jekov. The Coins of Moesia Inferior 1st - 3rd c. AD: Nicopolis ad Istrum (Blagoevgrad, 2015)]. 27.5 mm., 9.30 g., 2 h.* * The coin appears to match the die classified as Obverse Die No. 9 in the table entitled “Nicopolis ad Istrum - 4 assaria - die matches” [see http://www.diadumenian.com/Die tables nicopolis 4 assaria.html]. It appears to be an obverse die match to the two coins depicted at http://www.diadumenian.com/Nicopolis artemis longinus.html, the second of which was sold at Gorny & Mosch, Giessener Münzhandlung Auction 121, 2005 Lot number: 300. The coin also appears to be an obverse die match to, inter alia, the coins depicted at https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=17248 and http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?zpg=28570 . Here are photos of some of the coins I found (I looked through a lot of Diadumenian coins from Nicopolis!) that I see as obverse die matches, and possibly reverse die matches as well. Please let me know if you agree that these are all obverse die matches, and also if you see any of them as reverse die matches. From http://www.diadumenian.com/Nicopolis artemis longinus.html; this is also the coin depicted as Obverse Die No. 9 in table entitled “Nicopolis ad Istrum - 4 assaria - die matches”: From Forum Ancient Coins, a 2007 article entitled The Longinus Dies for Macrinus and Diadumenian at Nicopolis ad Istrum (A Provisional Die Study) (see http://www.forumancientcoins.com/ayiyoryitika/longinusdies.html, illustration R8ivbis [oddly enough, this obverse die type does not appear as one of the types covered in the article; only as one of a number of illustrations to a type with a different legend]): From Gorny & Mosch 2005 auction: From CNG Archives: From Forum Ancient Coins, sold coins: From Forum Ancient Coins, gallery of dpaul7: Also, please feel free to post your own provincial coins of Diadumenian, or your coins of anyone from Nicopolis ad Istrum.
Those are wonderful dies! @Jochen1 is your man for coins of Nicopolis, but they all appear to be obverse and reverse die matches to me. It seems to me that for these 3rd century provincials of Thrace/Moesia, it was sometimes the case that only one set of dies were ever made. For one Gordian III provincial of Hadrianopolis that I recently looked up on RPC online (mine is the 11th coin in the entry), from what I see, all 13 examples with both sides clearly enough illustrated are double die matches. Here's my favorite coin of Nicopolis... ELAGABALUS AE27. 12.24g, 26.9mm. MOESIA INFERIOR, Nicopolis ad Istrum, circa 218-222. Novius Rufus, legate. Varbanov 3949 (same dies); AMNG 1933 corr. (2 specimens). O: AVT M AVP – ANTΩNINOC (NO ligate), laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from front. R: VΠ NOBIOV POVΦOV NIKOΠOΛITΩN ΠPO, C ICTPΩ in exergue, Pan, with goats horns and legs, standing left, head right, draped in fawn skin, fawn hooves hanging from left arm, playing pipes (?), holding pedum in right hand, and placing left hoof on chest of panther which is lying on its back on the ground and raising its head. Ex Dr. Rainer Pudill Collection, purchased from Majestic, Großostheim, on 24 Sep 1997
That's a great coin! And thanks for confirming what I thought about the die matches. I'm not sure that these were the only dies used in Nikopolis for the Diadumenian/Artemis coin under the governorship of Statius Longinus (there were two other governors during Macrinus's brief reign, which complicates things), but the only differences I've found so far are slight variations in the obverse legends, not in the design of Diadumenian's bust. .
I love doing die studies like that, @DonnaML ! They are a lot of fun. Here's one that is RELATED from Nicopolis. This one has Diadumenian's father and Artemis's brother! It's one of my favorite coins ever! Macrinus, AD 217-218. Roman provincial Æ pentassarion, 12.64 g, 27 mm, 1 h. Moesia Inferior, Nicopolis, Legate Marcus Claudius Agrippa, AD 218. Obv: ΑV Κ ΟΠΠΕΛ CΕVΗ ΜΑΚΡΙΝΟC, laureate head, right. Rev: VΠ ΑΓΡΙΠΠΑ ΝΙΚΟΠΟΛΙΤΩΝ ΠΡΟC ΙCΤΡΩ, Nude Apollo with crossed legs standing right, his right arm drawn back, his left on a tree trunk, from which a lizard (?) leaps across to him. Refs: AMNG I 1687; Moushmov 1210; Hristova and Jekov 8.23.7.2; Varbanov 3348; Mionnet Suppl. 2, p. 148, 541.
I think this die combination has not been posted: Moesia inferior, Nikopolis ad Istrum, Diadumenian, AD 217-218 AE 28, 12.99g, 27.72mm, 45° struck under governor Statius Longinus obv. K M OΠΠEΛ ANTΩN ΔIAΔOVMENIANOC bust draped, seen from behind, bare-headed, r. rev. [VΠ CTATIOV] ΛONΓI - NOV NIKOΠOΛITΩN / ΠPOC IC Artemis as huntress advancing r., holding bow and drawing arrow from quiver over r. shoulder; at her l. foot the hound leaping r. ref. a) AMNG I/1, 1844 (1 ex., Gotha) b) Varbanov (engl.) 3718 corr. (writes VΠ CTA in error) c) Hristova/Hoeft/Jekov (2020) No. 8.25.13.4 (plate coin) about VF+, glossy mid-dark green patina, strong bust of Diadumenian Best regards
Thanks. So there was at least one other obverse die of Diadumenian used under Statius Longinus with an Artemis reverse. It not only has a different portrait, but the legend is different. It's the next catalog number after mine in both AMNG I/I and Hristova-Hoeft-Jekov. But am I correct in thinking from all the die matches that the dies used for my coin were much more common?
Here’s a recent bronze I won of Diadumenian. I’ve been so busy I haven’t been able to really enjoy it yet.
That's a neat one, @Nathan401 ! I like that youthful, beardless Asklepios -- he must have been only an intern!
It is Hristova/Hoeft/Jekov (2020) 8.25.20.2, struck under Marcus Claudius Agrippa. The rev. legend is VΠ AΓPIΠΠA NIKO-ΠOΛITΩN ΠPOC ICTPΩ Best regards
A hint: many/most coins of this series are part-legend. ΠOΛITΩN is a common suffix from several cities but coins that show ΠPOC tend to be Nikopolis and certainly when the letters following are anything starting with I. This city is famous for the different ways it displayed the name. I always thought it odd that they were more likely to spell out the preposition ΠPOC than the noun that followed it. The exergue of this Septimius Severus has a clear and uncrowded ΠPOC followed by the afterthought I. A sepcimen of this coin with no legible encircling legend is identifiable solely from that exergue.