A couple of new Alexandrian tetradrachms

For many of you these coins will not be very exciting. Towards the end of coin production in Roman Egypt the workmanship was pretty bad. The flans looked less like coins and more like aes rude.

Anyway, I'm very happy to welcome these into my Roman Egypt hoard. The first for its rarity and exceptional (for the time) artistry and the second because it is a former CoinTalk member's coin (@JBGood) and I like having coins formerly owned by forum friends.


EGYPT, Alexandria. Diocletian
year 11, CE 294/5
tetradrachm, 19 mm, 7.6 gm
Obv: ΔIOKΛHTIANOCCEB; laureate head right
Rev: Draped bust of Selene right, crescent before; L IA behind
Ref: Emmett 4080.11, R5
The date looks odd, more like L IE rather than L IA. It can't be L IE (year 15) because production of tetradrachms in Alexandria ended in 296. Per Emmett, this reverse was only issued year 11. Could it be and unpublished L IB, with the right side of the B missing? Possibly, but it's probably just a somewhat blundered A.

Translation of legend abbreviations:
ΔIOKΛHTIANOC CEB(ACTOC)
Diocletian Augustus
L IA
regnal year 11

I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that I didn't look closely at this next coin before bidding. I took a spin through JA's private auction a few minutes before closing and decided to snag an inexpensive tet, primarily because it is a CoinTalk member's coin and I want to collect one from every member I can, but also because it was rare (or at least "book rare") and I didn't already have one.

Rather than truly examining the picture, I just looked up the reference in Emmett and Diocletion/Elpis year 2, Emmett 4046, is rated R4. As I was preparing the images and this post, I took a closer look at the coin.

It's difficult to make out but after poring through the most likely candidates, I'm reasonably sure it's Carinus. That's okay. I didn't have a Carinus with this reverse .


EGYPT, Alexandria. Carinus
year 2, CE 283/4, Augustus
tetradrachm, 18 mm, 6.2 gm
Obv.: AKMAKA PINOCCEB; Laureate, cuirassed bust right.
Rev: Elpis standing left, holding flower and clutching hem of robe; across fields L-B
Ref: Emmett 4007.2, R1
from the JBGood collection

Translation of legend abbreviations:
A(VTOKPATΩP) K(AICAP) M(APKOC) A(VPHΛIOC) KAPINOC CEB(ACTOC)
Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Carinus Augustus
L B
regnal year 2

...

Feel free to add any coins you think fit: Roman Egyptian tetradrachms, coins which you initially misidentified, etc.

 

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Here's my only similar coin!

Diocletian, 284 to 305 AD, Athena holding Nike, shield at feet, Delta in field to left. Milne 4851

 

Interesting and good looking coins. While some of them may be crude in design, they still look nicely detailed. I think I have one or two laying around that I've been too lazy to upload and all, will go looking for them. And I misidentify about 90% of my coins on my first try, not going to post all of them lol.

 

I'm usually not a fan of late Tets, but the top one is great.

 

Cool additions TIF !! I was thinking of bidding too but other auctions have already 'obligated' my prevailing budget---and I'm after an Alexandrian of Nero and Poppaea, although a bit worn...

 

Nero and Poppaea, you say? I picked one up at the summer 2014 ANA show during the last-day mindless shopping spree


EGYPT, Alexandria. Nero
year 10, CE 63/4
tetradrachm
Obv: NEPΩKΛAYKAIΣΣEBΓEPAY; radiate head right
Rev: Bust of Poppaea right; ΠOΠΠAIAΣEBAΣTH; LI
Ref: Emmett 128(10) R1, Milne 217
Purchased from William M Rosenblum at WFOM, Chicago 2014

Translation of legend abbreviations:
NEPΩ(N) KΛAY(ΔIOΣ) KAIΣ(AP) ΣEB(AΣTOΣ) ΓEP(MANIKOΣ) AY(TOKPATΩP)
Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus Imperator
ΠOΠΠAIA ΣEBAΣTH
Poppaea of Augustus
LI
Year 10

 

the selene bust looks great! even as they get a bit ugly, i still like these tets...feel great in hand even if they aren't the easiest on the eyes.

here's my diocletian tet..




here's a very rough one of aurelian i had trouble identifying. it was a sub 10 buck coin on ebay, and it was either just listed as "roman coin" or misattributed....i can't remember. anyway, it took me a while to figure it out and i made some mistakes along the way.

 

WOW !! That's far better than the one I bid on...but here's a 'Potin' Tet to keep with the theme---Claudius II:

 

Cool tets @TIF !
The first one is excellent. And I don't have any Carinus tet, hence find yours attractive.
Here are a few of my late Alexandrian tets (I won't annoy you (again) with an octadrachm, you would get bored in the end )


Tacitus, Tetradrachm Alexandria mint, year 1 (AD 275/276)
AKKLTAKIOCCEB, Laureate and draped bust right
ETOYC, Dikaiosyne (Aequitas) standing left, holding scales and cornucopia. A in right field
9.74 gr
Ref : Emmet # 3971, RCV # 11831



Probus, Tetradrachm minted in Alexandria AD 277
A K M AVPTTPBOC CEB, Laureate and cuirassed bust of Probus right
Eagle right, head left, holding wreath in beak. LB in field (regnal year 2)
6,69 gr
Ref : Sear #4773v, Emmet #3983/2



Diocletian, Tetradrachm Alexandria mint, year 9 (AD 292/293)
DIOKLETIANOCCEB, Laureate and cuirassed bust right
L - ENATOY, Nike flying right, A in exergue
7.91 gr
Ref : Emmet # 4064 (R3)


And, cherry on the cake, just for the "à propos", my Nero & Poppaea


Nero and Poppaea, tetradrachm Alexandria mint, AD 63-64
NERO KLAY KAIS SEB TEP AY, radiate head of Nero right
TTOTTTTAIA SEBASTH, draped bust of Poppaea right, LI in right field
12.3 gr
Ref : RCV # 2002 v, Emmet # 129

Q

 

Good choice!


Poppaea (63 - 65 A.D.)
Billon tetradrachm
O: NEPΩ KΛAY KAIΣ ΣEB ΓEP AY, radiate head right.
R.ΠOΠΠAIA ΣEBAΣTH, draped bust of Poppaea right, date LI right (year 10).
Alexandria mint 63 - 64 A.D.
12.5g
25mm
Milne 216, Curtis 132, RPC I 5275, Geissen 157

Ex HJB

 

Two nice coins @TIF. I really like the Diocletian.

 

Wow, TIF, nice Alexandrians! Well done. These are all I have to play in the Roman/Alexandrian Technology Pool!


RI Carinus 282-285 CE Potin Tet Alexandria Egypt 19mm Athena Seated holding Nike


RI Antoninus Pius 138-161 BCE BI Tet Alexandria Egypt Dikaiosyne Scale

 

I would not be bored, but I might do this again:

 

I can imagine that little girl as you a few years back.

 

Sorry about the attribution on the second. It does indeed look like Carinus or at least not Diocletian. I used to get annoyed with dealers who couldn't attribute their coins properly, but now that my desk is piled up with hundreds of coins, I can appreciate how a few can sometimes slip through the cracks.

 

Here's my Probus:


Probus, AD 276-282
Potin, tetradrachm, 7.5g, 20mm; 11h; Alexandria, AD 276/277 (regnal year 2)
Obv.: A K M AVP PPO-BOC CEB; laureate cuirassed bust right
Rev.: LB; Dikaiosyne standing left holding scales & cornucopiae

I didn't know who Dikaiosyne is when I bought it so I got to do a little research. She is a personification or spirit of jusitice and righteousness. Her primary sources include the Orphic hymns and Philostratus.

 

Not that I like very much to post it every couple of days , but OK, let's have a look at what you would look like then......


Domitius Domitianus, Octadrachm, Emmett plate coin Alexandria mint, AD 296-297
ΔOMITI-ANOC CEB, Radiate bust of Domitius right
No legend, Serapis going right, LB in field (regnal year 2)
12.79 gr
Ref : Emmett, Alexandrian coins #4241/2, this example illustrated, Dattari # 10830, RCV # 12982 (2000), Sear # 4801 var (It's actually an hexadrachm in Sear)
Domitius Domitianus, stationed in Egypt, rebelled against Diocletianus in july 296 AD and was proclaimed emperor. He was defeated during spring 297 AD. Diocletian decided to close the alexandrian mint, so the coins of Domitianus are the last provincial coins from Alexandria. Also, Domitianus was the only ruler to strike octadrachms (in parallel with didrachms, tetradrachms and hexadrachms)

For more information, see, in english : http://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=Domitius Domitianus or "en français" http://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=54339.0

Also, the following comment, about another specimen sold at CNG (Triton XI, Lot # 539) "For the most part, scholars agree that the larger coins featuring the radiate bust must be a double, and thereby call it an octodrachm. At half the weight, then, the smallest coins with the Nike on the reverse must be tetradrachms, though these coins have erroneously been called heretofore didrachms. The weights of these tetradrachms appear consistent with the final issues of pre-reform tetradrachms of the Tetrarchs. The middle denomination poses the largest challenge to this arrangement. By weight, it should be a hexadrachm. However, no such denomination was known to have been struck in Egypt, though tetradrachms earlier in the third century achieved this weight. The obvious problem here would be the confusion caused in circulating the same denomination in two different weights. As this type is the rarest of the group, it is possible that it was meant for a special occasion, or more remotely, a stalled attempt to reinstitute the pre-reform coinage on an earlier weight standard. Further investigation may shed more light on this subject.

Q

 

I may one of the last you will be able to wriggle one away from unfortunately. @Mat did it once, and @Kentucky, but it does not happen often. I miss any coin that leaves my fingers unless lower grade LRB's or "widow's mites" I buy specifically for, and give away to kids.

Now, if you are open to trades, I still remember that pretty, large Punic bronze you have.

 

That trade would require a large bag of desirable coins

I'm slowly working on updating my website and database. I have many duplicates of Roman Egyptian tetradrachms, plus a variety of coins from group lots which no longer fit with my collecting goals. At some point in the future, hopefully later this summer, I'll have a gallery on my website with coins I'm willing to trade, and/or I may just consign them to JA.

 

(swoon)