Nicopolis ad Istrum - Crescent w. Stars - Caracalla? Elagabalus? Weird Beard?

I am still feeling my way with Roman Provincials - a fun process, but very confusing sometimes. Recently I got this AE Nicopolis ad Istrum with crescent and five stars. It was sold as a Caracalla - which may be right. But it could be Elagabalus too? The titles are the same and this portrait looks more like Elagabalus to me (puffier lips, hooded eyes). But Provincial portraits are variable, as several posts here indicate.

Also odd: it looks as if the portrait has a long, braided Pharaoh-beard! This is probably just a die defect, but Elagabalus put horns (or a bull pizzle) on his head on some of his coins - any chance he affected a weird beard in the provinces?

Other similar (or exact) examples welcome! Many thanks for your assistance.



Caracalla (?) Æ 17
(198-217 A.D. ?)
Roman Prov. - Moesia Inferior-Nicopolis ad Istrum
AYKEMAY ANTΩNIN Laureate draped, cuirassed (?) bust right, NIKOΠOΛITΩN ΠΡOC I Legend surrounding crescent and five stars.
(3.04 grams / 17m)

 

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Caracalla? AMNG I (Pick) has several examples of a coin with a crescent and THREE stars (not quite the same), numbered 1611-1615

 

one of my favorite actors on one of my favorite shows and episode, Donald Pleasence in TZOS "Changing of the Guard"..

 

Thank you for the AMNG reference, Roman Collector - my lack of library resources has been a problem for me (the online stuff is scanty and/or vague for these). I notice in the excerpt you forwarded, that there has been some Caracalla/Elagabalus debate among the experts too (if I am interpreting the German correctly).

And as you note, the five stars on mine has been causing a problem - I found one like this for Geta, then some others where the stars are in the shape of crosses ("Star of Bethlehem" article).

 

Yes, there's disagreement among experts whether the ones in AMNG are of Caracalla or Elagabalus.

 

It may well be unpublished to date. I did a quick check of the most up to date references and could only find varieties with 1, 3, 4, and 8 stars.

 

Thank you Ken, I appreciate your help with this.

 

Coins from Nicopolis ad Istrum are often very nice. I have this coin, really looks like Elagabal, I don't have any doubt in fact.



Elagabalus 218-222, Nicopolis ad Istrum, Moesia Inferior. Obv.: Laureated head r. AVT M AVR ANTWNEINOC.Rev.: Crescent with 3 stars. NIKOPOLITWN PROC ICTPON. 16 mm, 3.23 gr.

 

That is a beauty, Pellinore. And I agree that portrait looks like Elagabalus - hooded eyes, puffy lips.

 

Here's a Caracalla from Nicopolis ad Istrum, a small coin with a star, but no moon. The portrait is totally different.



Caracalla 211-217, Nicopolis, Moesia Inferior. Obv.: Laureated bust r. ANTWNIN. Rev.: Star with 8 rays. NIKOPOLITWN PROC ICTP. 18 mm, 3.42 gr.

 

Judging from the portrait I'd ID it as Elagabalus. Elagabalus coins are listed all the time as Caracalla, even when a type is known to have been struck only under Elagabalus. These two emperors befuddle dealers. Curiously, I've never seen one the other way around, where a coin was listed as Elagabalus but was really Caracalla.

 

Nice coin! I like that pharaoh's beard, but as you say, it's probably a die defect. The one in the link below looks very close to yours, with the description noting that it's a rare five-star variety. I don't have the H&J reference they give a number for.
https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=2199286

My four-star example with the cross-shaped stars.

CARACALLA
AE17. 3.77g, 16.6mm. MOESIA INFERIOR, Nicopolis ad Istrum, circa AD 195-198 (as Caesar). Varbanov 2976 var. (obv and rev legends). O: AV KEC ANTΩN, laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right, seen from behind. R: NIKOΠOΛI ΠPOC ICTP, three cross-shaped stars within crescent, a fourth below.