This coin has a portrait on both sides. I don’t really know where to start. I suspect it’s either Greek or Provincial. But that doesn’t really narrow it down too much. Thanks for your help
My first instinct: BI Stater of the Bosporos What does it weigh? Kings of Bosporos. AD 242-276. Rheskouporis IV (?)
Thanks for your reply. This is 14mm diam 2.8g weight Quite smaller than the example you provided. However, they do look similar so that's probably a good direction to pursue.
Since I can't identify any of the letters, that's probably about as close as we're going to get! Thanks!
You picked a nightmare coin to photograph, it has a shiny black patina which is notoriously difficult to get right I will give you a clue, the majority of the small Provincials are from the Severan dynasty ( and most from Nicopolis )
I agree with tenbobbit on both points but also do not think that this one is Severan. After seeing a few of them you get familiar with the faces and this one is not a style match in my view. I believe we can see the last three letters on the reverse as CEB so it might be two emperors rather than a head of a god. The obverse could be Antininus Pius but the reverse does not look all that much like Aurelius so we are back to, "I don't know."
Hmmm. The figure on the reverse may be a woman with her hair in a chignon at the back of her head. Marcus Aurelius and Faustina II? But with the prominent wave of hair above the forehead, maybe the reverse figure is Plotina ... ... or Domitia?
On closer inspection, there is definitely a female figure on one side. The other side appears to have a bearded figure. In order of least to most likely, in my opinion: 1. Ant Pi 2. Marcus Aurelius 3. Septimius Severus I feel like he's got a rather "oriental" appearance similar to the Severans. Butttt I don't know anything about anything
It reminds me of this coin .... different city (this one is Philippopolis) but possibly the same Emperor, Septimius Severus. Unfortunately I can't find this type and really don't know the exact identification of the reverse.
So that we don't go in the wrong direction and have 2 unknown, let's at least clear up the question of your coin. Varbanov vol.3 #1378 - seems to be a pretty rare coin (R6) Yours seems to be lacking an "E" IN PHILIPPOPOLEITON...but then so is the cgb example
Thanks! Wasn't expecting an answer on mine but now I know why I couldn't find it. What do you think the figure to the bottom right of the bust is? It kind of looks like the head of a dog.
And one more - still not satisfying attempt on the OP coin. The OP coin is tough, something about the portrait looks more jowly, Nero (+Poppaea, or Hercules from Lydia) or Flavian to me. I liked @Roman Collector's Domitia suggestion (Here's one from Thessaly). And one more vague possibility: LYDIA, Germe, Titus, with Domitian as Caesar (79-81), AE Obv: AYTO T ΓEP KAI. Laureate head of Titus right; grain hear before. Rev: ΔOMETIANON KAI. Laureate head of Domitian right Ref: RPC I 928 Weight: 3.8 g. Diameter: 17 mm. I can't guess, none of the three pictures/coins good enough to really make out what it is.
Thanks so much for your hard work. I apologize if my pictures weren’t the best, but at the time I was unable to get them any more clear. I think I’ll go with Domitian, at least it’s a better option than “heck if I know”
you might be able to say: vaguely 1st century Roman provincial, from somewhere east of Rome even that it a pretty big stretch.
