I don't normally buy double die matches but do sometimes make exceptions. I know that some people don't think that they add anything to a collector but sometimes they do. Septimius Severus denarius Obv:– IMP CA L SEP SEV PER AVG COS II, laureate head right Rev:– BONI EVENTVS, Fides standing left holding basket of fruit and corn ears Minted in Emesa. A.D. 194 Reference:– BMC -. RIC -. RSC -. I have had this first coin for some time... This coin was bought from a UK collector who doesn't specialise in this field. Combining the two obverses allows a full reading of the obverse legends, which is good for this one which is a rarer variant. They also lead me to a conclusion that I would otherwise not reach in that much of what I had attributed as coin wear on the first coin might not be such as the wear patterns on these high poins e.g. hair curls, beard, etc. are common on both coins. My new reverse is in a better state of conservation and allows for confirmation of the reverse legend. I didn't really need an excuse to buy the second coin but having it in hand feel justified in my decision to do so. Martin
The standard obverse legend for this series is IMP CAE L SEP SEV PERT AVG COS II so this coin varies in a few ways from this standard legend.
Well now this is kind of embarrassing..... I was scooting through my trays and have found I have yet another example in there....especially as it sort of negates all my justifications for buying my newest example... Doh....
Wow Martin, that's a fantastic new addition (congrats) Sep-Sev-athon Martin vs. Doug 2 - 0 => Martin jumps-out to an early lead ... can he continue to dominate this year's race? .... it's still far too early in the season to count-out either of these Sep-Sev giants!! (please stay tuned)
That last coin is the better of the three. Yeah, you're losing it my friend. You really don't need three of the same. Just pick one out and send it my way. I'll take care f it for you.
I also usually avoid double die duplicates but make the exception when one of three situations come up. First is when I find a coin at a good price that no one appreciates and I feel it needs a good home. Long ago, a dealer told me that these were very rare (Reka Devnia 0) and I should feel lucky to have the one I had (the one with the hole). Since then I have upgraded but will not sell the first because it is family from the early days. The second best is a dog which is not good enough for most collectors but I was willing to take it in in the hope of trading it to someone for an example of another die of the type that I don't have. I don't like coins that are very rare to be trashed just because they are not mint state. My best of the type (LEG XXII PRI) is another reverse die. There is another obverse and reverse die I don't have yet. The missing die set is the only one I have seen to provide full legend coins which means they sell easily when they appear. I've seen two and they were not cheap. I would really like to know how many coins of this type actually exist. The second reason to accept a die duplicate is when the die changed. My die clash page explains why but I felt the need to have two of this Julia Domna die pair showing identical damage from the clash proving that the oddity was on the die and not from a striking anomaly. Even more in need of two are these two Domnas with the same dies but before and after the clash occurred. By themselves this could be taken as evidence that the damage was not on the die but it turns out that the clash happened after one coin was made and before the other. This clash is not nearly as severe as the first but it is what it is and I have not found a preclash coin from that first set. The third reason is when you have two coins that are off center in opposite directions so the two provide everything between them. This was Martin's OP situation until he found the third coin which makes the other two obsolete. Steve can stop counting the number of coins Martin has that I don't. He does not have that many fingers, believe me!
wow, Doug => apparently you have multiple examples of double & triple dies!! ... you never cease to impress, eh?!
man, i don't have nearly as many coins as most of you all...and i still get mixed up on what i have and what i don't in my collection. especially with my world coin collection i don't give as much attention as my ancients....last time i went to a coin show i came home with two coins i already had.
I was having that problem so I uploaded all my photos on a Nook and carry it to shows. I still buy an ocassional duplicate when I am too lazy to look one up but that is usually when the coin is so cheap that I figure I can put it in my give aways if it turns out to be a duplicate.
Am certainly struggling with that as an issue. I recognised this obverse legend as being a rare variety and the price was less than a third of that I would expect to pay retail so am still happy with my purchase just feeling a little embarassed at not recognising the fact until after my initial posting here.
In the case of Septimius, it would help me if we had a standardized numbering system for the dies so my coins would be in an order that would make it easier to find what obverse I have used with what reverse. Not counting the ordinary COS II dies, I doubt the number would be all that great but I do not have a good grasp on how many COS I dies there are and how many IICO's, for example. Beiny able to say that is a #3 would make sorting easier.
