Happy 4th everyone. This what seems to be a copper coin, 30 mm, 14.31 g, of Septimius Severus, I had looked for a while online, but never found any examples until I finally saw a version on wildwinds with an eagle over the altar. My version is absent on that site. On another site I found only one without the eagle, thus described: PONTUS, Amasia. Septimius Severus, 193-211. 209/10. [AV K Λ CЄΠT] CЄOVHPOC Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Septimius Severus to right, seen from behind. Rev. AΔP CЄV [ANT AMACIAC MHT NЄ ΠP ΠON] / ЄT KH ? Burning altar of two levels; to left, tree. Dalaison 291. SNG von Aulock The year of mint below the altar is CT ? H (some help and resource needed to identify these, along with a rationale. For example, if these are Greek letters, obviously the "H" would be the 7th letter in the Greek alphabet - rather than the eighth if it were the latin H.) Anyone know the actual SNGvA number of this version??
The reverse is similar to my Caracalla version. Caracalla AE31 - Amasia, Pontos, Burning altar Obv: AU KAI M AUR ANTWNINOS, Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from front. Rev: ADR SEU AN AMASIAS MH NE P P / ET - CH, Burning altar with tree to left Minted in Amaseia/Amasia, Pontos, 208-209 AD 15.08 gms, 30.95 mm
No. Greek numerals included archaic letters not retained in the modern alphabet including at 6 what we usually see called digamma or stigma often looking like an S, backwards question mark or F. These numbers were used over many years in many variations. As a result H is 8. ET means 'year' and the missing letter is C or a lunate form of sigma which is the numeral for 200. Greek numbers did not employ space holding zeros so the coin is year 208 of the city era which I believe started in 2 BC so this would be c. 206-7 AD. I do not know what month began their calendar. You might search Coin Talk. I don't think it has been all that long since these were discussed here but I don't recall how many were shown. I have seen several but most are in no better condition than yours. Making coins that large was a technical challenge and many have flan flaws or weak strikes.