Oh no! ANOTHER Septimius Severus

I don't get a chance to add coins to one of specialist collections very often. It is focussed on the odd series of obverse legends from Emesa ending AVG II C, AVG II COS, AVG CO etc. This month I have managed to add two coins, one illustrated below and the other in the post, due to arrive any day now....

Septimius Severus denarius
Obv:– IMP CE L . SEP SE-V PERT AVG . CO, laureate head right
Rev:– FOTVNA-E (sic) R-EDVCI, Fortuna standing left, holding rudder in right hand, cornucopia in left
Minted in Emesa. A.D. 194
Reference:– BMCRE -. RIC IV -. RSC -

Possibly only fifth example known. Other examples (according to Curtis Clay) - BM ex Bickford-Smith and Curtis Clay coll., Vienna, formerly Barry Murphy coll., Triton VI lot (M. Melcher coll.), Doug Smith, all same die pair

A quite nice example though suffering from an uneven strike.



Coins like this make my day.

Martin

 

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Nice piece Martin.
When you mean fifth example known, you mean 1 of 5 known?

 

This obverse legend variety is only known from one obverse die.

It is combined with four known reverse types:-
BONI EVENTVS, Fides standing l. (1 known example)
BONI EVENTVC (sic), same type, (3 known examples)
FOTVNAE (sic) REDVCI Fortuna stg. l. with rudder and cornucopia (5 known examples including my coin above)
MONETAE AVG, Moneta standing left. (2 known examples)

Martin

 

Here is my BONI EVENTVC from the same obverse die.

 

I can only imagine. It's actually a very nice example notwithstanding it's rarity. Congratulations.

 

Atta-boy, Martin => toss another awesome Sep-Sev into the ol' collection-sack!!

Congrats!!

*awkward* .... Doug is gonna be jealous

 

It a quite nice example.

 

Doug already has an example of this type so we're good....

 

Resigned to it might be better than good.... Mine is not nearly as nice but I have had it since 1999 when it was a much more rare type. I had my day. I do not have the BONI EVENTVC reverse with this obverse but I do have a die link with it used with a different (IICO) obverse die. I bought that one from Harlan Berk before he hired Curtis Clay who wrecked the possibility of getting Severan elite from there. In the day, it was harder to find a dealer who could tell an Eastern mint coin from a Rome (much less care).


We each have coins the other would like. He has many more that I do not than the other way around.

BTW, die links are much more educational than die duplicates since they tie together various coins into the big picture of what happened at the mint and in what order. There are many coins in this series known from five or fewer examples but there may be others belonging to people who do not share data. Every so often one of our treasured 'unique' coins gets downgraded to 'one of two'. I do wonder just how many people are out there that are gathering these quietly.

 

I have the same die link.... All three II CO examples show evidence of the die break at the first E of EVENTVC which isn't present on the AVG CO coin placing the AVG CO example having been struck earlier.

 

This is a fine example of what we get out of die work. Things were changing fast at the mint toward the end of 193 and the start of 194. There are several different dies with spelling variations. We might even assume that a die marked IICO would be later than one marked CO but assuming things is not a safe way to do business. Here we have evidence. Was the change from CO to IICO done on New Years 194? That will be harder to establish but placing the dies in an order of use will help as much as any other tool we have.

 

I'm guilty of downgrading a unique coin of Martins to 'one of two.'

 

double post

 

OK Doug. I know I overstated it but I hope you inderstand the spirit in which it was meant. I did pay a full retail dealer price for this example from a well respected US based dealer quoting it as "A new variety and apparently unpublished." making it one of my more expensive purchases. I knew it wasn't a new variety but wanted it and treated myself.

 

Just when I thought you guys had all the Septimius Severus coins. lol

Very nice OP coin and the rest of them as well.

 

Not even close but we do both have an interest in some areas where there are very few known examples. I am waiting a very rare coin at the moment that the majority of people would pass by without giving a second look but is a big deal to me for my collection.

Every day I am disappointed when the postman passes by. When it arrives I will post it and explain why it is important to ME.

 

I believe we both have coins that we do not know to be duplicated elsewhere but we also know that Randy will be happy to downgrade us. There are stories of rich collectors buying the second discovered and destroying it so their coin would remain unique. I better not hear of any of you even considering that!

 

Same here, have a coin coming from the UK that is super special, to me, but really is Rare!. *Sigh*.

 

What is 'rare'? Is it just a number or is there more to it than that?

 

I'll have to keep my eyes open for these interesting legend variants and mangled spellings. All I have to offer is this boring COS II version with impeccable spelling.