Unique No Longer

As a specialist there is a certain thrill when acquiring the second known specimen of a particular type. My latest coin was previously known from just one example ... until now.


Titus as Caesar [Vespasian]
Æ Dupondius, 11.37g
Lyon mint, 77-78 AD
Obv: T CAES IMP AVG F TR P COS VI CENSOR; Head of Titus, laureate, bearded, r.; globe at point of bust
Rev: FIDES PVBLICA; S C in field; Fides stg. l., with patera and cornucopiae
RIC 1255 (R3). BMC -. BNC -.
Acquired from CGB.fr, September 2020.

Possibly a second known example of the rare dupondius Fides type for Titus Caesar at Lyon (Lugdunum) - although Giard cites one specimen and Cohen cites another, so perhaps mine is actually the third known despite the R3 rating in RIC. Fides was struck far more commonly for Vespasian at this mint, leading Curtis Clay to conclude this type for Titus Caesar may very well be a mule. FIDES PVBLICA, the good faith of the state, was a common personification on the coinage. The figure on the reverse is likely based on a cult statue of the goddess whose annual sacrifice occurred on 1 October. Important documents of state and treaties were stored in her temple for safe keeping. The laureate portrait seen here is standard for Titus's dupondii at Lugdunum. Of note, Titus's censorship is given prominent billing in the obverse legend.

Not only is this a super rare coin, it is a splendid example engraved in fine style.

Please post your unique or second known specimens.

**Special thanks to Curtis Clay for Addenda and Corrections**

 

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Beautifully engraved, nice work.

 

The Titus is a great coin.

I found interest in my common, lower grade Vespasian because it shows the use of the laureate portrait even for the Augustus at this mint.


The type attracted my interest again in the most recent Frank Robinson sale (lot 206R) where he sold a not very pretty Vespasian for $310 on a $400 bid. His coin gained considerable interest from being overstruck on what was most likely a Syrian Latin language bronze retaining the letters OTHO from the undertype. I was rather hoping someone here bought the coin but that must not have been the case.
206 R VESPASIAN, As, FIDES PVBLICA, Fides stg l; VF/F, orichalcum metal with some uneven dark toning, centered, full tho partly crude/wk lgnds; minor roughness; well detailed portrait. OVERSTRUCK on OTHO, presumably a Syrian coin, the letters OTHOC quite clear in obv right field. Otho's name is almost never so clear even on his own coins! This has to be extremely rare if not unique, and of the highest interest. Starting Bid $150

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My Vespasian and David's rare Titus are both stuck fully on a well spread flan. The FSR coin is not. This makes me wonder if the issue might have been struck on a group of recycled coins with most receiving special hard hammering intended to erase the undertypes. Certainly the FSR coin could have been a one of a kind thing when made but it would seem best to examine other coins of the series for signs of undertype that might suggest the purpose of the issue was to dispose of a bag of Otho's coins. The distance between Syria and Lugdunum makes me doubt this was the case but I will still look at these coins as they turn up. This is not something that will ever be proven.

Does anyone have a copper as of Lugdunum from this time?

 

That is a VERY attractive coin, @David Atherton ! That it's very rare is only icing on the cake. While I have a few coins of Faustina I and II that are known from specimens numbering in the single digits, this one is the only unique one in my collection. It's now the "plate coin" at RPC:


Faustina II, AD 147-175.
Roman provincial Æ 5.84 g, 22.0 mm, 7 h.
Bithynia-Pontus, Apamea.
Obv: FAUST[INAC AUG], draped bust of Faustina II, right.
Rev: UЄNU[S ... C]ICA dd, Venus seated right, head left, on dolphin swimming left, resting right arm on dolphin, uncertain object in left hand.
Refs: RPC IV.1, 11815 (temporary); Waddington RG --; BMC --; Sear --; Mionnet Suppl 5 --; Lindgren --; Wiczay --.
Notes: Previously unpublished. Obverse die match to Waddington RG, pl. XXXIX.1, which has a Neptune reverse type.

 

Here's the 2nd known examples of this Probus PROVIDENDEOR from Serdica. What's make it special is the short obverse legend IMP C PROBVS P AVG. But it's not very exciting, considering Probus minted a myriad of types and variants during his reign...

 

For the last 6 years there have been 3 recorded specs for this Licinius Hercules Farnese from Nicomedia:



But in all likelihood there are more that are yet to be identified and recognized.

 

My Sestertius of Salonina (seen above) with Pudicitia standing (not in RIC, BM, Cohen, Sear or Banti) was only known from a single specimen (Göbl 490y).
I had beginner´s luck because the seller misdescribed it as an AE as and no one else bid for it. It was actually struck as a presentation piece and one of the final Sestertii, using an obverse die created for Silver Medallions.

The previously unique other specimen (seen below) sold at a Gemini auction for ten times of what I paid for mine despite being less complete, so I think I made a good catch.

 

Congratulations, @David Atherton ! Not only tough to find, but yours is in great shape. Well done!

Mine:



RASENNA, Fufluna (Etruria, Populonia )
2 ½ asses
3rd century BCE,
AR 0.85 g. 11mm
Radiate female head r.; behind, CII.
Rev. Blank.
EC 104 (misdescribed, Female head with an Attic helmet). Historia Numorum Italy 179.
Of the highest rarity, apparently only the second specimen known.
Dark patina and about very fine
From the collection of E.E. Clain-Stefanelli.
Ex: Numismatica Ars Classica NAC

 

This one is a plate coin in our own CT member, @Nicholas Molinari 's book:


@Nicholas Molinari :
"Your first coin is a plate coin in Potamikon, number 343 in our catalog so Sambon 663; Taliercio IIIa.16; MSP I, 343, featuring Acheloios Sebethos as a man-faced bull. Taliercio cited three examples of this type, so yours is the fourth known of that particular variety."
"According to my notes, ACR E-Auction 28 lot 12."

Campania, Neopolis
275-250 BCE
AE 18, 4.99g
Obv: Laureate Head of Apollo, NEOPOLITON (in Greek), Theta at r.
Rev: Achelous advancing r, crowned by flying Nike, IOTA SIGMA under Achelous
Ref: Sambon 663; HN Italy 589; SNG ANS 474; SNG Copenhage - ;
Comment: Achelous was a river god from the Achelous River (largest river in Greece). Derivation of his name predates the Greeks, and later the River God became the god over all rivers, lakes, streams, and waters not controlled by Neptune.
Provenance: Plate coin in Potamikon, number 343 in our catalog so Sambon 663; Taliercio IIIa.16; MSP I, 343, featuring Acheloios Sebethos as a man-faced bull. Taliercio cited three examples of this type, so yours is the fourth known of that particular variety.
ACR E-Auction 28 lot 12.

 

Who knows what rare and important coins are squirreled away unknown to the wider world , often by those who should know better:the Eid Mar aureus being the latest obvious example. In my academia.edu works of genius on the NewStyle there is one called Some new coin types in the early Athens New Style silver coinage-Jan 2020 Update.
Here I searched through all the sources available to me to see what has changed in the early NewStyles since NSCCA. Early NewStyles are perceived as rare,formative coins by me, some are only known by sub types of one example, eg obverse T1 and obverse T2 of Thompson #1 of which there is one reverse each whilst my research expanded obverse T3 to 8 different reverses. No new obverses of #1 are known.
Not true of Thompson #2 though, I spotted a new obverse which had seemingly not been noticed-though obvious- by its previous owners and auctioneers!
What is the point-why did they have this coin since they had not noticed its uniqueness-I guess it just looked good.
Now the last early NewStyle Thompson #5 was known from only 1 example in NSSCA in 1961 and in the possession of the ANS. the next year another was discovered in a pot hoard in Kilkis-the same obverse as the ANS example but a new reverse. Now in a museum somewhere.
The next surfaced in the famous and important Demetrios l hoard 2003 described in Coin Hoards X by Cathy Lorber with a new obverse and reverse with only 1 palm!
And in 2019 Roma e55 sale produced one from an English Collector that has a new obverse and reverse, (thus unique),. Where it surfaced from and when is lost to all, it is in excellent condition.
Fully published, of course, it is mine...all mine, cackle cackle.


it shows that the issue is larger than long thought and there is even an imitation in an earlier style.
Enjoy.

 

Terrific portrait on that one, David. Just a really handsome and special coin all-around. Congrats on the find!

Two that are maybe "second known"...

CARACALLA
AE16. 2.62g, 16.4mm. THRACE, Trajanopolis, circa AD 198-217. Schönert-Geiss, Augusta Traiana –; Varbanov –; CNG 320, Lot 282. O: AVT K M AYP CE ANTΩNEINOC, laureate head right. R: TΡAIANOΠO-ΛEITΩN, Infant Herakles, kneeling right, strangling a serpent with each hand.
Notes: Unpublished and possibly the second known.

CLAUDIUS II GOTHICUS
AE Antoninianus. 3.9g, 22.7mm. Smyrna mint, circa end AD 268 - early 269. New RIC V/1 Online temp #824 (this coin cited). O: IMP C M AVR CLAVDIVS AVG, radiate and cuirassed bust right. R: VIRTVTI AVG, Virtus standing left, holding shield which rests on ground in right hand and spear in left hand; SPQR in exergue.
Notes: Extremely rare, possibly the second known.
Ex Finn Johannessen Collection (purchased from Ancient Treasures, 19 Aug 2009)

And a "possibly unique"...


SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS
AE29. 11.18g, 28.8mm. BITHYNIA, Prusias ad Hypium, circa AD 197/8. RecGen -; BMC -; SNG von Aulock -; SNG Cop -; ISEGRIM -. O: ΑΥΤ Κ Λ ΣΕΠΤΙ ΣΕΟΥΗΡΟΣ Π, Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right. R: ΕΙΣ ΕΩΝΑ ΤΟΥ-Σ Κ-ΥΡ-ΙΟΣ / ΠΡΟΥΣΙΕΩΝ, Septimius Severus, in military attire, standing front, head to left, holding scepter in his left hand and clasping his right hand with Caracalla, on the left, standing right in miltary attire and holding scepter in his left; on the right, Geta, togate, standing front, head to left, holding patera in his right hand and scroll (?) in his left.
Notes: Unpublished in the standard references and possibly unique.

 

Great show and tell thanks everyone for the pics and the lesson.

 

Great SPQR Gothicus, @zumbly . This is also the second recorded after F. Johannessen's spec, RIC Temp #829 Smyrna period, (very) late 268:

 

David's very nice and desirable coin: perhaps to be regarded as a mule, since the FIDES PVBLICA type was struck mainly for Vespasian, RIC 1210 (C3), while RIC 1254-5 records only two unique spec. for Titus.

A minor slip of the pen: David says RIC 1255 cites Hamburg for the first recorded spec. of his coin, but actually Hamburg 680 is the source for the preceding entry RIC 1254, with just PVBLIC not PVBLICA in rev. legend, not for David's RIC 1255.

For RIC 1255 the correct citation is Giard's Coinage of Lyon book, no. 114, a hoard coin illustrated on his pl. LII, which is from different dies and less well preserved than David's new acquisition.

Cohen 88 also cites a spec. of David's coin, though without mention of the globe below bust, from a private collection, M. Bertrand. Priced at 10 francs, so even Cohen appreciated its rarity! Likely not the same spec. as David's example, however, so RIC might better have rated this coin R2 not R3. That would make David's "only" the third recorded.

Giard also reports another spec. of RIC 1255 but with a legend error, the F omitted from the obv. legend, from the Saint-Léonard hoard of 1864, published in 1865. Unfortunately Giard doesn't illustrate this coin in his book, though he records that he examined many of the coins from the hoard personally at the museum that acquired them. This legend error coin would have deserved at least mention in a footnote in the new RIC.

 

Thank you Curtis for the corrections!

And yes, the Hamburg reference was a slip on my part.

 

Yes. When I bought it in 2000 I thought this one was rare, which compensated for its poor condition.

 

Very nice, but I think that yours is a variation of Nicomedia 68 rather than 75, with Γ but without star above it.

 

Hi All,

I have in my collection a Cypriot mint Ptolemaic bronze coin which has a diameter of between 16.31 and 17.13 mm and a weight of 2.80 grams. It appears to show not the god Zeus but a Ptolemaic king. Until now no Cypriot Ptolemaic bronze coin, with the portrait of a king on the obverse, has been reported.

After a fairly intensive search I was able to find a second coin, apparently minted from the same dies as mine. That coin is 19.0 mm in diameter with a weight of 4.34 grams and is in the collection of the American Numismatic Society.

Dr Catherine Lorber, an acknowledged expert of the series, is of the opinion that the obverse shows a Ptolemaic king in the guise of Zeus-Ammon (the ram's horn on the king’s head representing an assimilation of Zeus-Ammon to a Ptolemaic king). She also pointed out his unusual behind-the-chin style beard, which is not normal for Zeus but appears on portraits of late Ptolemaic kings, and mentions that it is unexpected to find this kind of cryptic portrait on a bronze coin.

So, at the present time (unless we can find others) is one of only two known.

Col Davidson

 

Hi All,
I went a bit crazy with my photos - I will try again
Col