Gordian comparison

I had been wanting one of these for some time. There have been quite a few on the market over the last few years so they can not be called scarce but the right coin has not been easy for me to find. These two coins were sold in the last two Robinson auctions. Which one should I have purchased and which was a mistake? I guarantee that what makes a coin more appealing to me is different than what would make it popular in many circles. Both are Gordian III silver drachms of Caesarea. One is year four; one is year five. There are other differences that would mean nothing to most people. I would be interested in hearing what you see that means anything. Of course, a good number here want nothing to do with Gordian, provincials, drachms or less than mint state coins so the choice would be a a resounding 'neither'. I would really like it if anyone having a preference would explain why rather than just saying one or the other.

Year four


Year five

 

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Most striking difference is the star on reverse of year- 4-coin.

 

Style-wise and condition-wise they seem roughly equal. It must be something about the legends or perhaps the way the date is rendered (abbreviation for "year of" vs spelled out). I don't know this series. What does the B NE across the fields of the year 4 coin mean?

 

Did @Bing mint the first one?

 

B NE abbreviates '2nd neocorate' honoring the fact the city had two temples dedicated to the Imperial cult. It appears on both coins ut in different locations.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neocorate

 

It stands for @Bing

 

I like year 4 for several reasons:
It spells out ETOVC
It spells out the entire name of the city, KAICARIAC, not just an abbreviation
I like the star on the reverse
I like the way some of the letters on the obverse inscription are weak, such as from a filled die; this illustrates methods of coin production and I think that sort of thing is cool.

 

I prefer the second (year 5) for its rendering of Mt. Argaeus (the BNE is better confined to the legend!) and the slightly better metal. Also, my Mt. Argaeus has a star, so the dot (what does this represent?) is different for me. I also like the lightning-style wreath ties.

 

Well, I'll cast the uneducated vote. I'd go for 5. Reason......It looks nicer

 

I like the crisper legends on year 5.

 

I like the portrait better on year 4 (and it doesn't hurt to see Bing on the reverse).

 

Perhaps
B NE
is for two (B) times Neocorate (NE), two temples to the imperial cult. That honor is not infrequently mentioned on provincial coins.

 

I like the sorry excuse for a ribbon on year 5. Looks like a lighting bolt and honestly part of my signature.

 

"Breaking and Entering".

Its also the nicer coin to me. They both have issues, but you gotta love that portrait (which is more realistic).

 

I'm with Mat, looks bazare. I like the portrait style of it too.

 

I know nothing of these and have yet to obtain a Gordi, but do seem to have a preference. A year ago I'd have gone with year 5 simply because to my eye it looks like the better struck coin. Nowadays, if I put your two side by side and consider them at the same exact cost I would pull the trigger on year 4. I don't care for the filled die** legend on the obverse, but I do like the bust of Gordian III better than the less mature version on y5. I like the centering on both and prefer the smoother edges on y4 vs the rough cracked edges on y5. The across field lettering and star above attracts me more than the simpler reverse of y5.

**have you ever seen a "dropped letter" on an ancient coin? Edited: Would that even be possible?

 

Thanks for showing these coins and for all your remarks (e.g., about the filled die. Thus some sort of dirt on the die was the cause of some letters being vague? Of course, that's it.).

I always wondered about the mountain on the coin and the way it is rendered. Those spearpoints over the rounded boulders - like cypresses on a Tuscany hill - can't mean trees, on a volcano of 12000 feet .

I suppose it had a religious meaning - a large volcano ten miles south of the town. Extinct as far as we know, but reading up I learnt that there are Roman coins that show the volcano with a pillar of smoke. Maybe that's what this coin of the year 5 shows with its star on top of the mountain: an active volcano. A large city on the spur of an awakening volcano (with accompanying earthquakes) would have cause to worry.



Mount Argaeus (now Erciyes)

 

I prefer Caesarea Sydenham 602,drachm
Gordian III, AR drachm of Caesarea, Cappadocia. Year 4, 17.71mm, 3,67g. AY K M ANT ΓOΡΔIANOC, laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right / MHTROP KAICAPIAC around, B-NE across fields, date ETOYC delta in exergue, Mount Argaeus, star above. SNG Tübingen 4700 var (didrachm); Sydenham 602 var (value).
because there is more information on the currency, more I find them interesting
but your second is not bad either : Caesarea Sydenham 604
Gordian III, AR drachm, Caesarea, Cappadocia. Dated Year 5, AD 241-242. AY KAI M ANT ΓOΡΔIANOC, laureate head right / MHTRO KAIC B NE around, Mount Argaeus, dot in upper right field. Date ET E in exergue. Sydenham 604.

 

It is also available for

Tranquillina AR Tridrachm of Caesarea, Cappadocia. AD 241-244. Draped bust of Tranquillina right, wearing stephane / Mt. Argaeus surmounted by wreath; B-NE across field; ЄTOVC Δ (date) in exergue; c/m: turreted head of Tyche right within incuse rectangle. Cf. Bland, Last 20; Sydenham, Caesarea Supp. 602a var. (Gordian); for c/m: Howgego 849. 6.9...
This currency is not for me

 

I really was not expecting the amount of participation on this one but I am thrilled so many took the time to say something so well considered. I thought the two were excellent example of the same/different concept. Did you notice the difference in the way the laurel wreaths were cut (not just the ties)? Did you notice how exactly the two mountains were constructed almost stroke by stroke? I was surprised that 4 was preferred by so many. I prefer 4.

I suppose we could do the same thing with almost any pair of coins as long as we used some reason when selecting the pairs to be matched up. This is every bit as difficult as working up the seed lists for the NCAA basketball tourneys but I doubt we will see millions of dollars changing hands based on our coin preferences. I posted this to encourage thought when evaluating coins rather than just blind grabbing of anything labeled high grade. I have no idea what would be printed on a slab of these two but I believe 5 would do better as appropriate since it cost more in the auctions.

I wondered if anyone would mention the fact that the year 4 coin was not listed in the references in this denomination. I have seen others so this may be a book error rather than a sign of rarity but the year 5 is certainly seen more often. I was interested that the dot right of the mountain was mentioned (there are dot left coins as well but I have no idea why). Are the dots related to the central star? Who cares about such things? Actually more of the people that hang around Coin Talk Ancients than most random group of coin gatherers. We may be just a little strange but in a nice way.

Thanks to all who played.