... or some such fate may have met the poor engraver who made this die error under Domitian. Domitian - Engraver's Error Æ As, 12.69g Rome mint, 81 AD Obv: IMP CAES DIVI VEP (sic) F DOMITIAN AVG P M; Head of Domitian, laureate, bearded, l. Rev: TR P COS VII DES VIII P P; S C in field; Minerva adv. r., with spear and shield RIC 88 (C). BMC 269. BNC 280. Acquired from Marc R. Breitsprecher, January 2021. It wasn't often that the very professionally run Rome mint made mistakes during the Flavian era, especially so during Domitian's tight reign. Here we have a rare example of a blundered obverse legend on an early bronze As of Domitian struck in late 81: DIVI VEP instead of DIVI VESP. It's a common enough type, but perhaps unique featuring this engraver's error. I wonder how many were struck before the mistake was noticed? The engraver almost redeemed himself with the fine style portrait. Let's hope that was enough to avoid any severe punishment that would've normally been meted out! Please share your errors.
There are many who argue that portraits were engraved by master celators while the inscriptions were added later by less skilled trainees. Your coin certainly supports this interpretation. Nice example of an interesting coin.
Maybe it's the same dyslexic die-engraver who omitted the P in TR P from this one. If so, he held the job for more than a decade: Domitian, AD 81-96. Roman AR denarius, 3.44 g, 17.2 mm, 7 h. Rome, AD 91. Obv: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM P M TR XI (error; should read TR P XI), laureate head, right. Rev: IMP XXI COS XV CENS P P P, Minerva advancing right, brandishing a javelin and holding a shield. Refs: RIC 156; RIC² 724; BMCRE p. 336, note; Cohen 269; RCV --.
Cool errors, Guys! Oops... RR M Furius ERROR DOUBLE-STRIKE AR Den119 BC Janus Trophy Carnyx S 156 Cr 281-1
I believe that the portraits were done separately from the legend, so, I guess maybe the text guy was having a rough day. Here's one of my errors, not very impressive, it's more common to have errors than to not. Here's my trachy of Manuel I Comnenus, with the reverse double stuck and rotated. The full ID is; Manuel I Comnenus, Constantinople, Billon aspron trachy. IC-XC, Christ bearded, seated facing, wearing nimbus; Gospels in left hand. Eight-rayed stars on each side, double linear legs to throne / MANYHΛ ΔECΠ, Manuel on the left, holding labarum and cross on globe, being crowned by Mary, both standing facing, M above Marys outstretched hand. (One jewel on emperor's loros between waist and collar piece. Loros waist has 5 pellets in diagonal cross arrangement. The collar piece has 3 jewels; the centre one round, flanked by 2 square jewels. All other pellets are round.) Sear 1966.
On this As, instead of DOMITIAN the minting master misspelled the emperor's name leaving out the second "I"- he probably got fired because of that, but the coin was already struck and put into circulation ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Rome, ca. 85 AD 28 x 29 mm, 10.351 g RIC II 308 var(misspelled name); Ob.: IMP CAES DOMITAN AVG GERM COS XI laureate bust right with aegis on l. shoulder Rev.: S-C across field, Victory advancing left, holding shield inscribed SP QR
Probus Obv:– IMP C PROBVS • P • F • AVG, Radiate, cuirassed bust right Rev:– COMITI PORBI(sic) AVG, Minerva standing left, holding olive-branch and spear and resting left hand on shield Mint – Lugdunum (I in exe) Emission 7 Officina 1. A.D. 280 Reference:– Cohen -. Bastien 315 (example c). RIC 69 Bust type F var (PORBI in error not listed in RIC) One of the examples cited by Bastien of 315 - the standard PROBI coin, 315c - Voetter, is also PORBI from the same reverse die. No examples cited in Bastien Suppl. II. 3.76 gms Probus Obv:– IMP C M AVR PROBVS AVG, Radiate cuirassed bust right Rev:– ORIES (sic) AVG, Sol walking left between two captives, right hand raised, left holding globe. Minted in Lugdunum (I in exe) Emission 2 Officina 1. from November to December A.D. 276 Reference:– Cohen -. Bastien 164c. RIC 44 Bust type F. 4.16 gms Septimius Severus denarius - wrong deity for the legend Obv:– IMP CAE L SEP SEV PERT AVG COS II, Laureate head right Rev:– BONI EVENTVS, Spes standing holding flower and lifting skirt Minted in Emesa, A.D. 194 - 195 References:– BMCRE -, RIC -, RSC - Die axis 0 degrees. Weight 2.58g A mix up with the reverse legend and reverse type. The reverse legend should match with the Fides type instead of Spes. Bartosz Awianowicz has the opposite error with a BONA SPES reverse legend and a Fides reverse type. Septimius Severus denarius Obv:– IMP CAE L SPE (sic) SEV - PERT AVG COS II, Laureate head right Rev:– TR P III IMP V COS II, captive seated right with peaked cap, hands bound behind, quiver and shields behind, curved sword in ex Minted in Emesa. A.D. 195 Reference:– RIC 432 var (obv legend). RSC 660 var (same)