Lucius Verus/Mt. Argaeus: a reverse variety not listed in RPC Online?

Not everything I've bought in the last few months is either a Roman Republican coin or a Roman Provincial from Alexandria -- here's a Roman Provincial from somewhere else!

Lucius Verus AR Didrachm 161-166 AD, Caesarea, Cappadocia. Obv. Bare head right, ΑΥΤΟΚΡ ΟΥΗΡΟϹ ϹƐΒΑϹΤΟϹ / Rev. Mt. Argaeus (or cult image of same), surmounted by statue of Helios standing three-quarters left with long scepter in left hand and globe in right; flames to left and right on sides of mountain; animal [deer?] bounding left at bottom far left of mountain in front of large rock; tree in front of large rock at bottom far right; smaller rock dotted with trees[?] at bottom center; ΥΠΑ-ΤΟϹ Β [= COS II]. RPC [Roman Provincial Coinage] Online Vol. IV.3 7027 (temp.) [rev. var.] (see https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/4/7027); Sydenham 352 [rev. var.] [Sydenham, E., The Coinage of Caesarea in Cappadocia (London 1933)]; Metcalf, Caesarea 131a [rev. var.] [Metcalf, W.E., The Silver Coinage of Cappadocia, Vespasian-Commodus. ANSNNM (American Numismatic Society, Numismatic Notes & Monographs) No. 166 (New York 1996)]; Metcalf Hoard 694-718 & PL 39-40 [rev. var.] [see id.]; SNG von Aulock 6438 [rev. var.] [Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Deutschland, Sammlung Hans Von Aulock, Vol. 2: Caria, Lydia, Phrygia, Lycia, Pamphylia (Berlin 1962)]. 20 mm., 6.70 g., 6 h.



I've wanted a coin with a Mt. Argaeus reverse for a while, and when I saw this one I couldn't resist. The reverse is in pretty great condition as these things go (and I love the deer at the bottom left), and I really liked the obverse as well.

Why do I think it's a reverse variety not in RPC Online? RPC IV.3 lists 26 Lucius Verus coins from Caesarea. See https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/search/browse?volume_id=6&number=&city_id=48&region_id=&province_id=&subprovince_id=&reign_id=60&obverse_person_id[0]=145&date_min=&date_max=&obverse_inscription_simplified=&reverse_inscription_simplified=&obverse_design=&reverse_design=&metal_id=&weight_min=&weight_max=&diameter_min=&diameter_max=&format=&page=1 . All 26 have Lucius Verus on the obverse facing right, and Mt. Argaeus on the reverse.

Of the 26, there are 9 which, like mine, show Mt. Argaeus surmounted by a statue of Helios (RPC Nos. 6866, 6873, 7027, 7028, 7029, 7030, 7031, 7032, & 8008). There are also 7 showing Mt. Argaeus surmounted by a star (Nos. 7033, 7034, 7035, 7036, 7037, 7038, & 8515), 1 showing Mt. Argaeus surmounted by a wreath (No. 6868), and 9 showing Mt. Argaeus not surmounted by any figure or object, all described as having a "tall conical top" (Nos. 6767, 6857, 6867, 86869, 6870, 6871, 8009, 8010, & 8011).

And, out of the 9 showing Mt. Argaeus surmounted by a statue of Helios on the reverse, only one -- No. 7027 -- shows Lucius Verus bare headed on the obverse, like mine. The other 8 all show him either with a laureate wreath, and/or with various combinations of drapery, cuirass, and/or paludamentum.

However, as you can see from the photo at RPC Online, No. 7027 -- the one bare-headed obverse variety with a reverse showing Mt. Argaeus surmounted by a statue of Helios -- has a reverse that varies from mine in a couple of respects. See https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/4/7027:





First, I see no indication on No. 7027 of a deer bounding at the bottom left. More importantly (since I suppose there could have been such an animal originally and it completely wore away), the coin has three comparatively small rocks in the center of the bottom row, by contrast to my coin's single larger rock with dots on it (which I speculated in my description might be intended to indicate trees) in the bottom center. There are some other, smaller differences between the two reverses farther up the mountain.

In short, it's pretty clear to me that my coin is different from RPC 7027, and isn't otherwise listed in RPC Online. Certainly, the two reverses (RPC 7027 and mine) differ at least as much as the differences between and among many of the 26 variations that RPC does list, and separately numbers.

In terms of whether my reverse variation might be cataloged elsewhere, the only other catalog I've seen with nearly as many variations of Lucius Verus/Mt. Argaeus is the Metcalf book mentioned above in my description of my coin. That book is available online at https://archive.org/details/silvercoinageofc00metc, and includes an enumeration of the "Metcalf Hoard" that lists 25 examples (Nos. 694-718) of silver coins from Caesarea with Lucius Verus bare-headed and Mt. Argaeus on the reverse. All 25 are illustrated in Plates 39-40. But, although some of the plate illustrations aren't too clear in the online version of the book, they're all clear enough for me to see that each appears to show three smaller rocks in the bottom center of Mt. Argaeus -- like RPC 7027, and unlike mine. I don't have access to von Aulock, but all of the other listings (like Sydenham Caesarea 352 and the separately-listed Metcalf 131a) are much more general.

I did, however, find two coins more like mine (albeit not identical to mine) at acsearch and the CNG archives; both show Lucius bare-headed on the obverse, and clearly show the bounding deer at the bottom left, and the single dotted rock at the bottom center, of Mt. Argaeus on the reverse. The first is from a Heritage auction, No. 231940, Lot 61107, from March 10, 2019; the image is at https://www.acsearch.info/image.html?id=6340129:



The other coin I found with a reverse that's more like mine was sold at CNG 's e-auction No. 77 as Lot 159 on Nov. 28, 2007; the image is at https://www.acsearch.info/image.html?id=421738, as well as at https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=114052 (with the auction description):



Neither lot description mentions RPC 7027 or any other RPC number (of course RPC IV.3 Online wasn't even available back in 2007); both simply list Sydenham Caesarea 352 and Metcalf Caesarea 131a.

If anyone has gotten this far with me, and agrees with me that my specific variation of the Lucius Verus didrachm from Caesarea with Mt. Argaeus on the reverse doesn't seem to be separately cataloged at RPC or elsewhere, do you think it's worth submitting photos of the coin to RPC to be considered for a new number? I've never tried to do that, but I believe there's a procedure for doing so..

Please post your own coins from Caesarea with Mt. Argaeus reverses (from any emperor), or your own coins, of any kind, that you've submitted to RPC, or anything else you think is relevant.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

My example.


Caesarea, Cappadocia
AR Didrachm
O: AYTOKR OYHPOC CEBACTOC Bare-headed and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind.
R: YPA TOS B ,Mt. Argaeus surmounted by Helios standing left.
Struck 161-166 A.D. (as COS II)
Caesarea, Cappadocia Mint
6.3g
20mm
Metcalf, Caesarea 131d; Sydenham, Caesarea

 

Interesting way to depict a mountain.

 

When a coin of the general type wears a bit, the deer runs away. On mine, there are faint legs no worse than on the 7027 plate coin. You should turn in your evidence and see what they do. I would expect them to list 'some showing deer' rather than giving a new number but that is their call.

 

..neat lil silver of Lu Ver(extra neat with the deer) and of a neat place with kool coins Donna...i've it in bronze

 

I'm pretty sure that on yours I see not only the deer's legs, but also its head poking out to the left past the rock. Yours really is nicer than the one depicted on RPC -- I don't see any trace of the animal on that one. Of course, yours has a star on the mountain top so it's a different type.

 

Very nice Donna, I really like that reverse style. Here’s a Commodus bronze with an image of Mt. Argaios above an altar:


Commodus, Cappadocia, Caesaraea-Eusebia, 192 A.D (regnal year 13), (AE 26.5 mm, 13.94 g), Α Κ Μ ΑY ΚΟΜΟΔΟC ΑΝΤΩΝΙΝΟC Laureate head of Commodus r./ Rev. ΜΗΤΡΟΠ ΚΑΙCΑΡE / EΤ/ ΓΙ Altar surmounted by sacred image of Mount Argaios. RPC Online 6889 (this coin illustrated).

 

I find it interesting that the bronzes of this type consistently show the mountain on a table/altar while the silver does not.
Septimius Severus

 

And another (multicolored) Commodus :


Commodus Ae 29
Caesarea Cappadocia
29mm 16.31g
RPC 10082

 

Stunning coin The portrait is great, but that reverse of old mount A
My most recent is a weathered, counter marked and beat up Sevy (bronze also on a altar). But it spoke to me

Septimius Severus

CAPPADOCIA. Caesarea-Eusebia. (193-211). Ae.
Obv: AY KAI Λ CEΠTI CEOYHPOC.
Laureate head right. Unknown CM below chin
Rev: MHTPOΠO KAICAPIAC.
Mount Argaeus on altar inscribed ET IΓ.
Sydenham 428.
16,13 gr 27,60 mm
Ex: Ares

 

Interesting coin, @DonnaML. You have a good eye! Send it in to the editors of RPC and see what they do with it.

 

Great coin, with nice clear devices. I believe the deer is meant to be there, but is probably worn away on most examples. It was also what attracted me to the one I bought, which also shows a tree or plant on the right rock. Mine, however, is RPC 7030.

LUCIUS VERUS
AR Didrachm. 6.64g, 21.4mm. CAPPADOCIA, Caesarea, AD 161-166 (Cos 2). Metcalf 131d; RPC Online Vol. 4, #7030. O: AYTOKP OYHPOC CEBACTOC, draped and cuirassed bust right. R: YΠATOC B, Mt. Argaeus with two large rocks at its base, left rock decorated with a deer leaping left, right rock with a tree; in the middle, a round stippled rock (wreathed in flames or surrounded by water?); on summit, Helios standing left, holding globe and long sceptre.

On mine, between the two large rocks at the base are two smaller round rocks flanking something else that does not appear to be just another small rock. I've no idea what it might be meant to depict. The entranceway of a shrine maybe? In any case, it certainly looks different compared to yours with the smaller stippled rock.

The entry for RPC 7027 lists as examples Metcalf Hoard 694-718, but unfortunately only illustrates that one example that you show above. The ANS digital library has that Metcalf paper online, including the plates that show those coins, but the image is so small that I can't make out the details clearly. From what I can tell, most do seem to have three objects like the illustrated example rather than one like on yours, but a few, 718 for example, may have just one object? The varieties listed on RPC seem to make a distinction based only on bust type and what surmounts the mountain, so I suspect more minor variations wouldn't qualify for a separate number. Still, I think it's worth submitting your coin to them to see what they say.

 

@DonnaML, you're really helping me out with your descriptions of just how much visual information there is ...on Roman provincials, or Roman anything, or ancients more generally. (--Oops; this from a medievals guy --Busted!) Thank you. Your efforts were not all in vain!!!!

 

Roman Cappadocia, Caesaraea-Eusebia. Marcus Aurelius, AD 161-180. AR Didrachm (21mm, 6.76g, 12h). Dated Cos. III (AD 161-166). Obv: AYTOKP ANTωNЄINOC CЄB; Laureate and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind. Rev: VΠATOC Γ; Mt. Argaeus, with trees, surmounted by star. Ref: Metcalf 130f; Sydenham 330.

 

Congrats Donna, lovely coin my dear

 

Thanks to @zumbly and others for reminding me, in describing their own coins, that YΠATOC = COS, so the YΠATOC B on the reverse of my example means COS II, which of course is how the seller was able to ascribe my coin to the years 161-166 AD. I knew that, but forgot it when writing my coin's description. Which I have now changed accordingly.

 

I actively collect these drachmas from Cappadocia as they often allow one to get a denarius size and fabric of an emperor otherwise not so easy to obtain. For what it is worth, i have always felt that the tribute Penny of scripture was not a denarius of Tiberius but a drachma out of the Caesarea mint like the one pictured above from Andres2.

 

I had been waiting on another big bronze from Cappadocia, and it actually just arrived this afternoon. After seeing some of these posts, I think I’m going to have to get one of those silver didrachms from there as well.


Julia Domna, Cappadocia, Caesarea, (AE 29.5mm., 19.16g). IOVΛIA ΔOMNA AVΓ Draped bust r. Rev. MHTPOΠO KAICAPIAC / ЄT IΔ Mt. Argaeus surmounted by star.

 

Many thanks. @zumbly, for your very detailed and thoughtful comment. Specifically with respect to the comment I quote here, I agree with you for the most part. But I did find one pair of Lucius Verus varieties with different RPC numbers, for which the two coins appear to have the same obverse design (Lucius bare headed with slight drapery to the left), and the same type of reverse (Helios surmounting Mt. Argaeus); the RPC descriptions are substantively the same as well. The only difference I can see is -- like mine -- in the pattern of rocks at the bottom center of the mountain. Here are RPC's photos of the two coins, RPC 8008 and RPC 7029:

Reverse of RPC 8008:


Reverse of RPC 7029:



Obverse of RPC 8008:



Obverse of RPC 7029:



In any event, after I get around to submitting photos of my coin to RPC, and I hear back from them, I will let all of you know.

 

The difference between 7029 and 8008 is that the latter is a listing for an AE type, and in fact, they describe the two cited examples as “authenticity doubtful: cast”.