Hi all! Yesterday, I made a post about a possibly unpublished antoninianus of Claudius II. However, in the same lot was this antoninianus of Salonina. The reverse is supposed to read VENVS VICTRIX. However, the engraver seems to have left out the second V of VENVS. It definitely appears that the V isn't there, and that there is no space for it. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I can't find any matches on acsearch, Google or RIC Thanks!
The portrait doesn't look a whole lot like Venus, either. It looks more like Vens, the god of standing around and acting important even though everyone knows that you're a worthless drain on everyone's morale.
It's Göbl 232b from the Rome mint. The missing V is a die-engraving error and not an intentional variation by the mint. It wouldn't warrant a separate catalog listing.
It's not the most photogenic example, but here's my specimen. I've never posted this before. Salonina, AD 153-268. Roman billon antoninianus, 2.30 g, 17.7 mm. Rome, AD 260-262. Obv: SALONINA AVG, diademed and draped bust, right. Rev: VENVS VICTRIX, Venus standing l., holding helmet and scepter; shield at feet. No officina mark in field. Refs: RIC 31; RCV 10660; Cohen 129; Hunter 20; Göbl 232b.
Here is another Salonina VENVS VICTRIX type - with naked-to-the-waist Venus seen from behind (a type fairly common with Julia Domna and some of the Flavians). Last I checked this was not in RIC, so I guess it is fairly scarce (and so somewhat unpublished - but it is noted in Göbl and the Cunetio Hoard): Salonina Antoninianus (wife of Gallienus) (256-257 A.D.) Cologne Mint SALONINA AVG, diademed, draped bust rt. on crescent / VENVS VICTRIX Venus from back, naked to waist leaning on column holding palm & apple. Göbl 904c; Cunetio hoard 735; (Not in RIC). (2.59 grams / 21 mm) eBay Mar. 2018
