A Pax on Your Coin

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by David Atherton, Sep 6, 2019.

  1. cmezner

    cmezner do ut des Supporter

    And of course one of Octavian :D, unfortunately with a hole:oops::

    Cistophorus, Ionia, Ephesus, 28 BC
    25 mm, 11.35 g
    Ref.: RIC I 476; RSC 218; RPC I 2203;
    Ob.: IMP•CAESAR•DIVI•F•COS•VI•LIBERTATIS•P•R• VINDEX• laureate head right
    Rev.: PAX in left field; Pax, draped, standing left on parazonium (?), holding caduceus in r. hand; behind her, in r. field, a snake emerging from cista mystica; all within laurel wreath
    The title, LIBERTATIS P R VINDEX appears on no other coin of Octavian, nor of succeeding Augusti. It was designed to commemorate the peace established on the death of Antony, whose removal put an end to the civil war.
    upload_2019-9-7_14-17-20.png upload_2019-9-7_14-17-35.png
     
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  3. Orfew

    Orfew Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus

    Okay, I have to post another. One of 2 known. David Atherton has the other one.

    Vespasian ric 773.jpg

    Vespasian (69-79). AR Denarius (18.08mm, 3.50g, 6h). Rome, AD 75.
    Obv: Bare head l.; IMP CEASAR VESPASIANUS AUG
    Rev: Pax seated l., resting l. elbow on throne and holding branch.
    PON MAX TRP COS VI
    RIC II 773 (this coin); RSC –. Extremely Rare variety, near VF. Not in RIC plates.
    Ex Vecchi sale 13, 1998, 757.
    Ex: St Paul Antiques auction 7 Lot 285 June 11, 2017
    Coin depicted in the Wildwinds.com database.
     
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  4. cmezner

    cmezner do ut des Supporter

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  5. FitzNigel

    FitzNigel Medievalist

    Does this count???
    Med-05a-FTou-1109-William IX-D-1210.jpg
    French Feudal, Toulouse
    William IX of Aquitaine, second reign r. 1109-1117
    AR Denier, 18.82 mm x 1.1 grams
    Obv.: VVILELMO COME, Cross Pattee in center, S in second quarter
    Rev.: +TOLOSA CIVI around, PAX in center
    Ref.: Duplessy 1210 (as William IV), Roberts 4225 (As William IX), De Wit 439 (as William IV)
     
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  6. Cucumbor

    Cucumbor Well-Known Member

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  7. philologus_1

    philologus_1 Supporter! Supporter

    Better late than never, I suppose.

    While researching another coin, I noticed that the attribution for the 2nd example I included on my above post (4 years ago! :-o) was incorrect. (The ruler, mint, year, diameter and weight are correct, but the cite references are not.) The coin type is actually... Attrib.: RIC II 1426 (R2), BMC 450, RSC 293a

    Well, I feel better now.

    (And thanks again, @cmezner for answering my question re: the identity of the crowned woman on the reverse as being Pax.)
     
  8. GinoLR

    GinoLR Well-Known Member

    Béarn les centulles.jpg France, Béarn (Lordship). Anonymous AR Denier, in the name of Centulle, count of Bearn, Morlaàs mint, 1080-1250.
    Obv.: CENTVLLO COME, cross pattée with pellets in first and second quarters
    Rev.: ✠ ONOR FORCAS / PAX in centre.
    cf. Duplessy, Féodales 1241; Poey d'Avant 3234; Boudeau 525.

    "Onor forcas" means "Right to Gallows". Such was the power of the counts of Bearn...
     
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  9. johnmilton

    johnmilton Well-Known Member

    How the William the Conqueror PAX penny? Some people think this was the first William II (a.k.a Rufus) coin. The "PAX" is in the center of the reverse. This is the most common William the Conqueror coin.

    William The Conquorer All.jpg
     
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  10. David Atherton

    David Atherton Flavian Fanatic

    I always assumed the identity of the female on the reverse is the city goddess Tyche, which would explain why she is wearing a turreted crown. Turreted crowns depict the city walls and towers.
     
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  11. philologus_1

    philologus_1 Supporter! Supporter

    That logic certainly lines up. A few auction listings name her Tyche-Roma or Tyche/Roma. But I did find 5 different auction houses that cited her as being Pax turreted. In view of the type's surrounding legend, Pax seems feasible imho. But I wouldn't argue against Tyche.

    All that aside, most listings do as OCRE currently does, by enigmatically leaving her nameless -- identifying the bust only as that of a 'female' or 'woman'.
     
  12. expat

    expat Remember you are unique, just like everyone else Supporter

    My only PAX reverse
    20230822_171824__3_-removebg-preview-side.png
    Probus, 276-282 AD. AR Antoninianus (4.98 gm; 23 mm). Lugdunum mint.
    IMP C PROBVS . P . F . AVG, radiate and cuirassed bust right.
    PAX AVG, Pax standing left with branch in upraised hand and raising hem of skirt while holding sceptre; Officina D in left field.
    RIC 119(D.RC)
    Aug 1st, 2023, (Pars Coins) VAuctions, esale #7, Lot # 120
     
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