So I'm still cataloguing this coin donation and I ran across this one. Most of the Nicaea provincial coin reverses feature military standards with rings at the top. This one shows a ring in the middle, but what appear to be two animals on the left and right standards. (The one on the right looks like a t-rex!) Any idea on what might be on these standards? Here's my description so far. (I've had to make an educated guess as to the obverse legend.) EMPEROR: Severus Alexander REIGNED: 222-235 A. D. DATE STRUCK: TYPE: AE21, Bithynia, Provincial Bronze of Nicaea SIZE: 21.45 mm. WEIGHT: 5.51 g. DIE AXIS: Ca. 0° OBVERSE: M AVP CEV AΛEΞANΔΡOC AV; laureate draped bust of Severus Alexander right. REVERSE: N-IK-AI-E between three legionary standards; the central one is topped by a ring; the other two topped by other animals—a scarcer variant of the three ringed standards variety. EXERGUE: ΩN
I could see eagle for my T Rex. But the one on the left looks different. Could they both be eagles? I saw one online dealer suggest a panther for one of the animals. I thought that was an odd suggestion, unless there was an eastern legion with a panther as totemic figure. I just don't know enough. But the one on the right could very well be an eagle, indeed.