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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;lrbguy, post: 3090247, member: 88829&quot;]I need to enlist the broad searching power of CT to see if we can locate another example of an unexpected mark.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>This is an antoninianus of Otacilia Severa I recently purchased:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]779607[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>The long obverse inscription (MARCIA OTACIL SEVERA AVG) distinguishes it as a 2nd issue coin minted in Rome in 245, with the PVDICITIA AVG reverse, the most common of that issue.&nbsp; It would be unexceptional except for the exergual mark on the reverse:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]779609[/ATTACH] </p><p>[ATTACH=full]779610[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>This mark is not a mere accretion, nor does it appear to be a die flaw.&nbsp; It&#039;s position and overall appearance suggest it was intentionally struck.&nbsp; This has no other correspondence that I know of for the series in which it was made, and it might be dismissed as a fluke except for another important factor.&nbsp; Three years later similar appearing marks appeared in the exergue of the SAECVLARES AVGG coin series minted in honor of the 1000th anniversary of Rome.&nbsp; There, this type of mark served as a Roman numeral counter for the officinae producing each type.&nbsp; This early use of officina counters was distinctive and intentional.&nbsp; Here is a set of those marks:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]779612[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]779613[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]779614[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]779615[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]779616[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]779617[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>The existence of this series, under this ruler, from this mint leaves the door open for the suggestion that the mark on the specimen I showed first might be intentional, perhaps as an earlier officina mark.&nbsp; Do others exist?</p><p><br /></p><p>This is where you come in.&nbsp; If you have seen a mark on an ant of Otacilia Severa, or her family, like the one on my latest purchase, or like any of the others in the series of 248 AD, please show it here or PM me about it.</p><p><br /></p><p>Whether or not you have such a coin, I would like to hear your thoughts on this topic.&nbsp; And if you know of some study of this, please share a link or a reference.&nbsp; Thanks.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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