My First Commagene Scorpion... or just another Iffy Lot from eBay?

I am conditionally excited about this, in a too-good-to-be-true way. Sometimes I troll through eBay's "Antiquities" section looking for coins - mostly overpriced crud or fakes, but now and again, I find something. So this came up, $14 for "two ancient coins." The photos were blurry and showed only the obverse - the seller sent me some more and I saw a scorpion, which led me to Commagene.

My question is, is the Commagene real? It is way nicer than most of my bronzes, so I am suspicious. It is 28 mm and weighs 12.47 grams. It's fabric reminds me of a Ptolemaic bronze - flat on the obverse and somewhat convex on the obverse (as if the planchet was made in a mold). I looked at a bunch of these online - they appear to be fairly abundant. The Forgery Network didn't show any...





Here's the whole lot. The other one is a plated Otacilla Severa with IVNO CONSERVAT...it is very lightly plated (and crusty) - by coincidence, this issue is supposedly linked to Philip's Carpic Campaign Mint, about which I recently re-posted.
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ph...n-mint-ric-51-and-others.318383/#post-3583539



Any help would be greatly appreciated. And feel free to share your Commagenes or Mrs. Philip the Arabs, scorpions, etc.

 

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I have only one of Commagene and it is slightly scaphoid, so the concavity shouldn't bother you. The countermark on the obverse is interesting but the scorpion got damaged in the course of countermarking it.

Julia Iotape Philadelphus was the wife, sister, and cousin of Antiochus IV. Oh, the irony! Philadelphus is the Latinized form of the ancient Greek Philadelphos (Φιλάδελφος) meaning "brother-loving." This coin issued by the hyper-incestuous family has a countermark I've been unable to identify. It's not in Howgego.


Julia Iotape, Queen of Commagene AD 38 - 72
AE diassarion, 23.4 mm, 13.64 g, 12 h
Syria, Commagene, Samosata mint
Obv: ΒΑΣΙΛΙΣΣΑ ΙΩΤΑΠΗ ΦΙΛΑ∆ΕΛΦΟΣ, diademed and draped bust of Iotape, right; countermark: anchor?
Rev: ΚΟΜΜΑΓ−ΗИΩИ, scorpion and inscription all within laurel wreath
Refs: Lindgren-Kovacs 1887; RPC I 3858; BMC Galatia p. 109, 4; Nercessian AC --; SNG Cop VII 5; similar to Sear GIC 5514 (which has lunate sigmas in the inscription).

 

Well, I've been doing some web surfing on these two new coins and found some things that interest me - thought I'd toss them out there.

CNG had an auction with a Commogene scorpion that I almost think is an obverse die match (the reverse obviously wasn't a match). Similarities in the legend particularly struck me. Or I am staring too hard at pictures:

https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=103743




As for the Otacilia Severa, I found that the reverse legend is blundered and that this matches three other examples (all plated/base metal) as described here:

"Reverse: "IVNO CONSEAVΛT"
Juno (the consort of Jupiter) veiled, standing left, holding patera and scepter.

Note: I have been shown two other specimens of this obverse with a blundered reverse legend. Both other specimens are fourees. This example, although not showing any loss of plating could also be a fourree or billon. As this obverse (sic - I think he means "reverse") die has been used for reverses issued under Trajan Decius, it was probably struck during or after his reign."

http://ettuantiquities.com/Philip_1/Otacilia-2.htm



Otacilia Severa Fourrée Ant.
(wife of Philip I the Arab)
(c. 245-247; 249-251 A. D.)
Carpic Campaign Aux. mint
or Trajan Decius-era imitation
MARCIA OTACIL SEVERA AVG diad. dr. bust on crescent / IVNO CONSEAVΛT, Juno
standing l. w. patera & sceptre.
RIC 127; RSC 20.
(3.91 grams / 20 mm)

 

I really like that countermark - I notice Commagene coins got countermarked a lot, even in the Provincial period. I'll keep my eyes peeled!

As for the "scaphoid" - what a great word - I found an auction referencing "late series with bevelled edge, Samosata, c. 54-65" - which is "scaphoid" I'm guessing.

https://www.coinarchives.com/a/lotv...&Lot=465&Val=f61c9d61447bbedc5553da368432d631