Hey folks, I have found no less than 35 genuine coins struck from the same obverse die as my newest Sestertius. Does this imply a very high survival rate (for bronzes, at least), or is it not totally unusual? What is the highest number of obverse or reverse die matches you found for an ancient coin of yours (any denomination) or do you know of any comparative numbers from literature?
I'm not sure about the total count, but I believe there were about 15 die matches both for obverse and reverse for this Ambiani stater (out of the c. 60 I could find using very broad searching methods).
Are you looking for a number of mixed die matches (same obv and different rev.) or including double die matches (same die both sides)?
I would be interested in both. Mine are mostly mixed die matches, as for Sestertii at least there were several times as many reverse dies used because they wore out faster.
I am very interested in the answer to how many different combinations of dies exist but less in how many duplicates of both sides there are. It is quite possible in some cases for there to be every known example of a coin to be a die duplicate of all the rest. Imagine if you will the possibility of a 'mint sack' of a thousand pieces all made from the same dies surviving intact but no other coin of that type from other dies surviving if, indeed, there ever were other dies used. The details of die studies are of great interest to specialists. That said, my personal 'record' is six reverses used with one obverse but I am aware of other dies with twice that number (but I do not own those coins). Below is my set of six 'Emesa' mint denarii. Are there others? IDK
Septimius Severus, denarius, eastern mint, obverse legend "IMP CAE L SEP SEV PERT AVG II CO" all examples from a single obverse die BONAE SPEI advancing l. (5 examples I can cite):- BMC 341 pl. 15.12, Paris, one formerly H J Berk stock, two in my collection (3 different reverse . dies) BONI EVENTVC (sic), Fides standing l., (4 examples I can cite):- Bern, one formerly H J Berk stock, two in my collection (all from same die pair), FELICITAS T[EMP]OR, wheat ear between two crossed cornucopias, (2 examples I can cite):- Barry Murphy stock, 2003, my collection FORTVNAE REDVCI, Fortuna (pax?), with modius on head, seated left holding branch and cornucopia, (1 example I can cite):- INVICTO IMP TROPAEA, Trophy, (2 examples I can cite):- Paris, my collection INVICTO IMP TROPAEA II, Trophy, (1 example I can cite):- BMC 368 pl. 16.8 LEG VIII AVO (sic) TR P COS, eagle and standards, (3 examples I can cite):- Oxford ex Walker, JNG 1978/1979, pl. 9, 4, my collection (same die pair) MINER VICT, Minerva seated left, holding victory in right hand, spear in left, shield beneath, (2 examples I can cite):- @benhur767 collection, my collection [MO]NETAE AVG seated l. holding scales and cornucopia, (3 examples I can cite):- Doug Smith, two examples from my collection (2 reverse dies) VICTOR IVST AVG, Victory adv. l. holding wreath and palm, (2 examples I can cite):- eBay, one example in my collection This brings me (I think) to 25 examples that I can cite from this obverse die.
Anyone remember that coin stash from a few years ago that was theorized to be a payroll sack that was stolen, buried, and never retrieved? I bet that there were dozens if not hundreds of die matches in there, as IIRC they were all freshly minted coins.
35 seems like a fairly normal number. It could also be due to a surviving hoard which included coins made from your dies. Similar to how the late-hellenistic drachms from rhodes flooding the market this year have all been struck from little over a half dozen dies, yet well over a thousand have been sold in the past 12 months.
The Eauze hoard of 1985 contained no fewer than 2531 Rome-mint antoniniani of Valerian I struck from a single obv. die, coupled with 8 rev. dies showing three different rev. types. The two most prolific die combinations using this obv. die were present in 1184 and 1045 spec. respectively. 36 spec. from the same obv. die is I think a high number for Roman sestertii. During the Severan period, I think I can attest only one obv. die represented by so many specimens: of Caracalla in 210-1, BMC pl. 49.8-9. Perhaps your new acquisition is from that same obv. die?
I would think that there are some hundreds of this die combination. I found over 200 on a very basic search on AC Search and I know that there are probably a lot more. Before the Athena Fund II sale in 1993 offered by Sotheby's this coinage was considered rather scarce. However with the liquidation of this fund a very large number of the coins were placed on the market, including some which were sold in bulk lots. My coin came from one of these bulk lots. Leontini Ar Tetradrachm 440-430 B.C. Obv. Head of Apollo left. Rv Head of roaring lion left. 17.34 grms 25 mm Photo by W. Hansen What makes this particular group of coins interesting is that the characteristic die deterioration evident on the obverse is common to virtually all specimens. In fact when I still owned a copy of that sale I was actually able to determine something of the order that each specimen was struck because of the progressive nature of these die problems. This hoard must have been put in the ground within weeks of these coins being minted.
It is Aquilia Severa. Does this also fit into your studies of the Severan coinage, Curtis? My obverse die (AQVILIA S-EVERA, divided by the Stephane) is shared by 35 of the 50 Sestertii of this empress that I know of: 30 Banti Nr. 4 (coupled with 3 or 4 reverse dies with star right), 4 Banti Nr. 3 (all with one reverse die with star left) plus one Medallion (Emperor and Empress clasping hands), and Banti 5 (Vestals, which might be a modern fabrication). The second obverse die (AQVILIA - SEVERA) is shared by 11 Sestertii (same reverse dies with star right as above). A third obverse die (no Stephane, paired with a second reverse die with star left = Banti 2) is shared by three specimens (this might be the earliest version). The ex-Morris coin looks so tooled that i cannot safely fit it into any of these.
While it is interesting that there are so few of these rare coins, the question I would like to see addressed is how many different types of different reverse dies were used with one obverse die. maridvnvm showed a set of ten types with the IICO obverse die. I find those ten and my set of six interesting not only because there were so many reverse types but that we lack a second die of the same type for any of them. In my six shown earlier, there are two Victory coins but one shows Victory on a globe while the other has a normal groundline. It is like the policy was to change the type rather than just to replace a die that was used up. I was once told there were 13 reverses used with the PEPT COSI die but I can not find that reference in my disordered correspondence. I have only four - nothing approaching that number.
Julius Germ, That's a familiar obv. die for Aquilia, so I'm not surprised you found 35 die matches! My cast collection for Elagabalus' reign is comparatively small, since only begun after most of my museum trips had already been made, when I had been seeking just coins from the reigns of Septimius and Caracalla, 193-217 AD. I have casts of 11 sest. of Aquilia from your obv. die, and 7 from the other common obv. die. Surely the Morris coin is untooled, and from the same obv. die as yours? Could you post images of Banti 2 and 5? I don't recall these additional obv. dies, and can't at the moment find the relevant volume of Banti.
Thanks, Curtis! Here they are: Banti 2 (1 Specimen: Marcom Collection, ex Ratto 1927) Banti 5 (1 Specimen: Medici Collection)
Update: I just discovered that Banti 2 (no weight given) is not a "true" Sestertius as it was struck with As/Dupondius dies. The Specimen in Graz from the same dies, listed in OCRE as a Sestertius, is in fact the modern cast of an As or Dupondius (only 11,36 g). The third double die match (10,08 g) was sold by Stacks and Bowers on 5 August 2020 as an As (but might as well be a Dupondius due to the yellowish metal colour). As Banti 2 shares it´s obverse die with my coin (Banti 4), and if the Morris coin does as well, my conclusion is that the two obverse dies we found common are in fact the ONLY two obverse dies made for the Sestertii of Aquilia Severa.
Thanks for the pictures! The rev. of Banti 5 with Vestals before temple may be a Paduan die, since Klawans includes it in his Imitations book, p. 90, there coupled with an obv. of Faustina II under Antoninus Pius.
