Elagabalus denarius attribution question

Calling all RIC jockeys...

Did the seller misattribute this coin? It's not of much consequence to me but I try to accurately record the references when possible. The question seems to revolve around the stars in the reverse field. I don't have RIC IV.

(The fancy background may be overkill for this average coin but I like the way it looks )

Seller's attribution:

ROMAN EMPIRE
Elagabalus (218-222) (D) Denarius (3,55g), Roma, 220-222 n. Chr. Bust with laurel wreath and drapery as well as so-called. Horn / Kaiser as a sun priest with mace (or cypress?) And Patera ago Altar, in both fields (!) each have a star. RIC 134var (Horn), RSC 249a. Very light Stempelglanz in Av. Vzgl.

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While I haven't been able to find images of RIC 134, I suspect it is really RIC 131 with an engraver's error in the left field rather than "...both fields (!) each have a star." OCRE has a description of RIC 134 but no images:

Obverse
Legend: IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG
Type: Bust of Elagabalus, laureate, draped, right

Reverse
Legend: SACERD DEI SOLIS ELAGAB
Type: Elagabalus, in Syrian priestly robes, standing right, sacrificing out of patera in right hand over lighted altar, holding upright club in left hand; in field, two stars

The left field star is very faint, as if the die was aggressively polished to diminish the star's depth. Elagabalus's neck is also pencil-thin, so perhaps some metal was removed from that region too when the star was being "erased".

The star represents the sun god El-Gabal and should be in front of the emperor. I think the Elagabalus sacrificing denarii star placement issues have been discussed here before but I couldn't find a thread.

...

This general type of Elagabalus denarius has been on my hit list for some time. They are plentiful so acquiring one hadn't been a priority. This coin was good enough and the price was low, so it can be crossed off the list . In addition to wanting a coin that was generally "pleasing", I wanted one with a clear horn. For this coin, I think the faint left field star also adds a little interest since I believe it is an engraver error (although this may be a common error on the "Elagabalus sacrificing" coins).

 

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Just checked my copy of RIC IVb, and 135 shows two stars while 131 shows only one star. Is that what you are asking?

 

Sort of . I was asking about RIC 134, but if 135 is a possibility then that too .

Are there pictures of these in RIC? Are the two stars on the same side or is one left and one right? Does one of the stars look faint, like a partially "erased" mistake, or are they both well-struck? Do you think my coin matches the images for RIC 134 (or 135)?

 

I would attribute as 131. 135 is different and much scarcer. It is thought that the star stood for his sun god, to whom the emperor was depicted sacrificing, and therefore it should have been placed in front of him, These were sometimes erroneously engraved with the star behind, tere were often attemps to eradicate this mistake as on your coin.

Here is a RIC 135 (not mine) but with the star behind in error.



Here is a different sacrificing type of mine (RIC 87) also with the star behind...



Others of mine with stars that are partly removed...

 

Thanks, Martin. Have you access to any images of RIC 134 so I can see what the auction house thought it was? I have already logged it as RIC 131 on my website but would like to see an example of 134.

 

Mistake on my part. That should read 134 with two stars. Let me go back at look to see if there is a plate for this coin.

 

I believe that examples cited as 134 are much as your coin but with the star behind more in evidence so the lines between where 131 start and 134 start are open to interpretation.

 

Thanks! I thought it might end up being something like that.

 

Plate II, number 18 shows RIC 131 with one star to the right

 

Bing, is there a picture of 134? There are many images of 131 online but I haven't seen any of 134.

 

Acsearch turns up this one attributed as 134.... see what I mean?

http://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=2523629

 

Great addition as always, TIF .... funny though, if I was you (with your sweet tech-sills), I would find my own cool coin-background ...

I like you

 

Sorry, but no. No images of 134.

 

I swear I looked in acsearch before posting this thread.

Yes, the left field star is less erased in the acsearch image. My photos don't show it as much, but the star is a little more in relief than the images suggest. Is it enough to slide it into RIC 134? I certainly don't know, and I suspect the distinction is not important. Just curious .

 

Oh, I'm not 100% sure if this is relevant, but I'm not wearing any pants!!

=> yup, it's Friday Night!!

 

^^^ See no evil!

I hear you...

However, AJ's just looks right. Not overdone; nice floating effect.

I did try some of my own though. Here are the rejects. I was worried that some people might find them distasteful .

 

I really really love those last two coins.
Wait, what, they're the same coin?? Geesh, I guess sometimes the background maketh the coin.

 

Oooh, I like that psychedelic background. Just like the '60s.

 

I'm always i the minority on everything here but I really think collectors are taking this star business a lot more seriously than the mint did. I do not buy into the theory that the star is the sun god and belonged in front or why they moved it. There are also quinarii with no star. I suspect this means the same thing as the drapery direction on Domna/Venus coins but I have no idea what that is. It does look like the two star model was a correction but it was on more than one die so there are multiple possibilities for the big WHY? RIC thought so little of the matter that the listing is "usually in field, star" without mentioning left or right.

I offer this coin as evidence that the star was important to be on that side. It is really crowded in on this die and would have been put on the left if random was allowable. Maybe the mintmaster got extra pay for every 100th die produced and wrong side stars marked those special dies. Wild theories need love, too.

 

Close .......... oh, feel free to inherit the dark-side