As many will know I collect eastern denarii of Septimius Severus. This isn't one but is an ancient imitation is very good Emesan style. If all I could see was the portrait I would believe it to be a genuine Emesan product. Septimius Severus imitation denarius Obv:– IMP CAE L SEP SEV PERT AVG CO, Laureate head right Rev:– VICT AVG TR P [COS II P P], Victory walking left, holding wreath in right hand, palm in left A Barbaric Imitation copying the style of Emesa
What makes this an imitation? Is the legend blundered, are the dimensions off? I noticed you didn't include weight and diameter? How are we to know? It looks like a denarius to me. Is this a something only a specialist can pick up on? School me, I like imitations.
I haven't looked at enough Emesa mint coins to differentiate by style, but my thinking is exactly opposite. The obverse looks imitative, the reverse official.
It's so obvious even a 5-year old child could see it...go find me a 5-year old child, I can't see it either.
The style is wrong. I almost see more the flavor of the later Laodicea period but the CO at the end of the obverse makes it seem a copy of Emesa. There are relatively few coins I consider copies of Emesa but I suppose there are some types I accept as official that others may doubt. Misspelled legends are not a great sign of anything on the Eastern coins since the real ones had occasional problems with spelling. In this case, I see less Emesa than I would require to feel certain that the cutter was copying one rather than confusing a Laodicea original and forgetting that that mint used IMP.
As Doug states. the Emesa product starts IMP with a variety of endings. AVG CO is not unheard of (illustrated below) but the style of this bust is inconsistent with the output during this period. The bust style os more akin with the the Laodicea period or that of one of the odd misspelled variants of the COS II period. Certainly not an official mint output.
Hello, What is barbaric? not a official mint from Rome or a self interpretation of the coin maker in a city? not controlled by the Roman state? but by the local ruler? I have a Edessa Barbaric Caracalla.
