I have just added another Victory walking right, holding wreath in left hand, trophy in right to my IMP II collection. It turns out to be a double die match to another example in my collection which I bought from Barry Murphy. It is from a different die pair to another example in my collection with a different reverse legend break and a different die pair to the British Museum example. Obv:– L SEPT SEV PE-RET AVG IMP - II, Laureate head right Rev:– VIC-T-O-R AVG, Victory walking right, holding wreath in left hand, trophy in right Minted in Laodicea-ad-Mare, A.D. 194 References:– RIC -. BMCRE -. RSC -. 3.09 g. 17.92 mm. 0 degrees ex-Barry Murphy collection VICT-O-R AVG BM Example - IMP I-I, VICT-O-R AVG
Very interesting style. My only Septimius Severus Victory denarius, also from Laodicea, was issued only four years later but was quite different -- for example, Victory is walking left instead of right, and holds a palm branch in addition to her wreath, instead of a trophy. Also, Severus's beard is more distinctly separated into two forks than on any of yours. Septimius Severus, AR Denarius 198 AD, Laodicea Mint. Obv. Laureate head right, L SEP SEVERVS PER - AVG P M IMP XI/ Rev. Victory advancing left, holding wreath in right hand & palm branch in left, VICT AVG-G COS II P P. RIC IV-1 499, RSC III 695, Sear RCV II 6370. 19.29 mm., 3.15 g.
@DonnaML - The mint (if it is in fact the same mint) underwent a lot of change between the IMP II, the early IMP VIII and then the later issues that emerged after early IMP VIII. When I started collecting these I spread myself across all these issues but seldom buy anything from the later issues as I am trying to keep my focus on the earlier IMP II and early IMP VIII. Victory walking left with wreath and palm is the Victory type that dominates these early issues too whether it be a generic Victory type or one celebrating specific victories such as ARAB ADIABENIC which celebrates a Victory over the Arabs and Adiabenici. There is a very small issue that seems to have appeared at the re-opening of the mint where there is the celebration of Victory over the Parthians too where the Victories over the Parthians is celebrated in the obverse legend while the Arabs and Adiabenici is held within the reverse legend. This seems to have been a very small issue and there are not many examples known today with only one obverse die and only three reverse types that I am aware of. Obv:– L SEP SEVERVS PER AVG PIV IMP XI PAR P M, laureate head right Rev:– AR AD [T]R P VI COS II P P, Victory walking left, holding wreath in right hand, palm in left Laodicea-ad-Mare mint. A.D. 198 Reference:– BMCRE page 280 *, citing RD page 105. RIC 494a corr. This appears to have been followed by Obv:– L SEP SEVERVS PER AVG P M IMP XI, laureate head right Rev:– PAR AR AD TR P VI COS II P P, Victory advancing left, holding wreath and palm Minted in Laodicea ad Mare, A.D. 198 References:– BMCRE 625. RIC 495, RSC 361 and we have an explicit declaration of Victory over the Parthians. This time Victory of left with wreath and trophy and showing a Parthian captive in front. Obv:– L SEPT SEV AVG IMP XI PART MAX, Laureate head right Rev:– VICT PARTHICAE, Victory walking left, holding wreath in right hand, trophy over left shoulder; captive left. Minted in Laodicea-ad-Mare. A.D. 198-202 Reference:– RIC IV 514; BMCRE 672; RSC 741
Martin, I have a specimen from the same dies as the third one you illustrate from your own collection; ex Triskeles E10, 19 Dec. 2013, part lot 300. Note on my ticket: "Unpubl. type, 2 others known from diff. dies". Note that the BM example you illustrate is not just different dies, but a variant type: Victory's forward leg is bent at knee rather than straight, and she holds wreath in r. hand and trophy in l. hand rather than vice versa.
Those who are recent to Easterns may not have heard the old fashion distinction between Laodicea 'Old Style' and Laodicea 'New Style' which separated in the IMP VIII period. Way back then, people were still arguing over the existence of Eastern coins dated with any IMP number between II and VIII. I remember being thrilled when I got these two Laodicea coins which are obverse die matched. The first appears to read IMPVI while the second clearly shows two more strokes beyond the bust point. I often said that anything goes in Eastern mint coins. I may not have been exaggerating.
That definitely includes me. Despite having had a coin from Laodicea for a while, I had to look it up yesterday to figure out where it was, only to discover that there were two of them. But I gather that the one in Syria (ad Mare) was the one that minted these coins, rather than the one in Anatolia.
I really like those reverses of Victory carrying the trophy. Here's my limes example with a touch of BD for good measure
Alexandria's style is so characteristic that it is not presumptuous to assign the Severan denarii of that same style to 'Alexandria'. The mints of the Syrian Severan denarii, however, are little more than guesswork, so it is best to refer to them not with city names, but with neutral descriptive names, for example: Not 'Emesa', but 'the COS II series', including the earliest coins of that series with the Roman obv. legend of 193 and with obv. legends ending II COS, II CO, II C, or COS I. Not 'Laodicea', but 'the IMP II series', followed by 'the IMP VIII series (old style)', and 'the Syrian new style series', including Septimius from IMP VIII on, Domna, Caracalla, Plautilla, and Geta. Julia Domna old style denarii should use the same three names as for Septimius, that is 'Domna, COS II series', 'Domna, IMP II series', and 'Domna, IMP VIII series, old style'. These three series of Domna can only be divided by style and by observed rev. die links to COS II, IMP II, or IMP VIII old style denarii of Septimius. Until these three groups have been sorted out and published, they might best be referred to collectively as 'Domna old style, including COS II, IMP II, and IMP VIII coins'.
First, congrats to @maridvnvm on the latest victory and thanks to @maridvnvm, @dougsmit & @curtislclay for the interesting and educational thread. I will try to apply the knowledge shared to this eastern victory (Laodicea "new style" as IMP XI) - a coin that I liked for celebration of Parthian victories even if it isn't the prettiest: Septimius Severus, AD 193-211, AR Denarius, Laodicea ad Mare mint (Laodicea "new style"), Rome mint struck AD 198-202 Obv: L SEPT SEV AVG IMP XI PART MAX, laureate head right Rev: VICT PARTHICAE, Victory advancing left, holding wreath and trophy; captive seated at feet to left And here is one that I don't think is eastern at all - chosen for the portrait that I found unusual - from Rome AD 193 (?): Septimius Severus, AD193-211, AR Denarius, Rome: struck 193 AD Obv: IMP CAE L SEP SEV PERT AVG, laureate head right Rev: VICT AVG T-R P COS, Victory walking left, holding wreath in right hand, palm in left Ref: RIC IV 22; BMCRE 30; RSC 682 And finally a coin that I found attractive - and was pleased that others ignored at auction - "COS II series" (Emesa): Septimius Severus, AD 193-211, AR Denarius (19mm, 2.78 g, 12h), "COS II series" Emesa mint, struck AD 194-195 Obv: IMP CAE L SEP SEV PERT AVG COS II, laureate head right Rev: FELICIT TEMPOR, grain ear between crossed cornucopiae Ref: RIC IV 373; BMCRE 347; RSC 142b
@Sulla80 Your second and third attributions are correct: second coin is Rome, probably early in reign, c. June-July 193 because of straight not curly hair in portrait above wreath. Third coin is, of course, COS II series. First coin is, however, not new style Syrian but Rome, although the same type was also struck by the new style Syrian mint, e.g. BMC pl. 44.13. The main difference is stylistic, which should become clear to you if you compare your Rome-mint example with the BM's new style Syrian pieces of Septimius on BMC pl. 44-46. Rev. of your coin is a bit crude and might make one think "Syrian", but the obv. is unmistakably in Rome-mint style.
I will freely admit that when I started to get into these series some years ago that I probably frustrated @curtislclay , @Barry Murphy and @dougsmit by not being able to see what was plain to them, which is the stylistic differences between Rome and these eastern issues. After studying images of thousands of coins and handling many these differences suddenly became clear though is quite difficult to put into clear words. It is something I don't even give a second thought to today but then I have been collecting these eastern coins for over 15 years now.
My only Septimius Severus piece also celebrates victory, but without the wreath. One this piece, Victory is riding in a galloping biga holding a whip. "VICTORIAE AVGG" ... victory to our augustuses.
I appreciate the patience - for me there are the easy ones (clear Rome, clear not Rome) both of my Rome examples gave me pause because they seem less “standardized” than my default expectations - it is helpful to have the experiences of experts in a thread like this to focus and provide context - thank you for sharing and bearing with the interested and non-expert.
I can only hope that I am half as patient with people as others have been with me when learning these.... Always feel free to ask.
