I have been away over Christmas so have returned to some coins to start off 2015. This is the first of my denarii of Septimius Severus for 2015. I hear a massive yawn from the members. I hope to add many more during the year. Septimius Severus denarius Obv:– L SEPT SEV P-ERET AVG IMP I-I, Laureate head right Rev:– FORT R-DEVC (sic), Fortuna seated left holding rudder and cornucopiae Minted in Laodicea-ad-Mare. A.D. 194 Reference:– BMCRE (p. 108), RIC 451 and RSC 168 all describe a coin with this reverse description citing Cohen 168 which is described as having a PERT obverse legend. I have never seen this type with PERT. RIC does have a footnote for a coin with PERET matching my coin in the RD hoard on p. 105. I do have another example of this reverse with the PERTE obverse legend. This obverse die has the slightly more unusual end to the obverse legend of IMP I - I and it looks as though there was a problem with either the die, the flan or something suring the striking process that caused an area of the portrait not to be struck up (from the eye and up through the hair). Examination under magnification would imply that this was during the strike process and not a subsequent lamination issue. Martin
YAWN!!! Not another Septimius Severus denarius. lol I wonder if they were smoking opium from Cyprus while working at the mint. lol Nice coin and it never ceases to amaze with all the various die varieties from those eastern mints.
Martin - 1 Doug - 0 => man, I think it's gonna be a close Sep-Sev match in 2015!! Great coin, Martin (congrats)
Like I asked Doug, where do you guys find all these? I'm always looking, but rarely find eastern mint coins in a quality I would want.
My first thought is that the coin was overstruck on another coin which failed to provide enough metal to fill the portrait as might be the case if the original reverse were struck with the new obverse.
Doug, The thought has crossed my mind but without and real evidence of the potential under-type it is a tough call to make. I am trying to find an obverse die match to see whether that would help in my analysis of what is going on here. Regards, Martin
There is a bit of roughness in the flan directly in front of the bust, and what appear to be shadow letters on the reverse, particularly at 12 o'clock. I think an overstrike is a real possibility.
