I have been quiet about my obsession with the eastern issues of Septimius for a while. This is largely due to the lack of coins having been added to my collection in this area. I have managed to add one coin this month an thought that I would inflict it on you. It has some numismatic interest though I didn't actually need it. I will always buy these Moneta seated types when I can find them as they are generally quite scrace. This coin is an example of a correction to a mis-read coin listed in RIC. This is an example of engraved dots being mis-read as Is. Doug has a super Moneta standing coin in the following thread that illustrates the dots in the reverse legends too. https://www.cointalk.com/threads/septimius-severus-emesa-monei-avg.271013/#post-2278993 Septimius Severus denarius Obv:– IMP CAE L SEP SEV PERT AVG COS II, Laureate head right Rev:– MONETA .. AVG, Moneta seated left, holding scales and cornucopiae Minted in Emesa, A.D. 194 - 195 References:– RIC 412 corr. RIC 412 is noted as MONETA II AVG which is an odd legend. I have three examples of this reverse die (two of Severus and one of Domna) that show that this legend is in fact MONETA .. AVG where the two dots have been misread as II. Here is my previous (horrible) example. I am going to try and take a new photo of it to see if I can make a less ugly depiction :- Another numismatic interest with this coin is that it is an illustration of how we are able to build evidence of which coins are attributed to which mint through die linkages. My coins above share a reverse die link with a coin of Julia Domna. This then implies that the coins with the matching style of Domna are produced at the same mint as and contemporary with my COS II coins above. Julia Domna denarius Obv:– IVLA (sic) DOMNA AVG, Draped bust right Rev:– MONETA AVG, Moneta, seated left, holding scales in right hand, cornucopiae in left Minted in Emesa, A.D. 194-195 References:– RIC 628 var (Not listed in RIC with this error in the obverse legend) It is interesting (at least to me) that the RIC coin is from the same reverse die (illustrated in the plates) was slightly off centre and the two dots were not noted in the attribution.
I don't have one of these but there is a stander. I did once get into a 'discussion' with an expert who claimed that the dots were meaningless and just placed on the dies to fill spaces. I did not buy it then; I do not buy it now. I have no idea what the dots mean. I found the one below interesting since the dot is in the middle of the word MONETA,E rather than between or at the end. If this were just decorative, I'd expect the E and the dot to have switched places. Another variation is this Spes with the same dot before E situation. I'm sure there is something I'm missing here. I feel your pain. I have not added many coins to my Eastern Severan collection for about 15 years now. Someone else has been buying them all. I need to find a new specialty that is of interest to no one.
Other dotty coins not covered above.... I have others too. I have no idea what the dots are. And that's not getting into dots in the obverse legend (some examples in here too) BONA SPES . BONA SPEI .. BONAE SPEI .. (these ones are really odd as they are in an incuse area) MONET AVG . MONET.A.E AVG MINER VICT ..
