Featured Antioch in Pisidia

Justin Lee, Several years ago I scored a handsome bronze of Septimius Severus from the ancient Thracian city of Augusta Traiana (modern day Stara Zagora, Bulgaria), that is strikingly similar to your coin from Antioch in Pisidia, see photos below. Augusta Traiana, as the name would imply, was named after emperor Trajan. The center depressions on my coin would indicate the planchet was lathe turned. The reverse figure on my coin has been identified as Homonoia (goddess of concord, unanimity, & oneness of mind) sacrificing over an altar. Dimensions are: 28 mm, 15.51 gm, 6h.

 

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Need a little help here

Have this common Augustus Dupondius, RIC 528, and I am trying to figure out what the letter A (or inverted V) on the obverse means.

26 x 27 mm, 18.08 g; Antioch of Pisidia, ca. 5 -12 AD
Ob.: IMP AVGVST•TR• POT• Laureate head of Augustus to right

The lettering on the left clearly starts with TR• POT and on the right IMP AVGVST• starts about 1 o'clock, ending at the base of the front part of Augustus' neck.
Unfortunately numismatics.org has no pictures for RIC 528.

Rev.: S•C in linear circle and wreath with 8 leaves, tied at the bottom

Any ideas or references where I can look up the A (or V)?

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This is actually not Antioch of Pisidia, but rather the Syrian Antioch. Antioch in Syria should be considered Roman Provincial, so I'd suspect it shouldn't appear in Roman Imperial Coinage (RIC) but Roman Provincial Coinage (RPC) instead... I'm actually not even sure why RIC 528 is in there listing Antioch of Pisidia.

Here are the 2 of mine:

Augustus, 27 BC-14 AD
Antioch, Syria, AE26
Obverse: IMP•AVGVST• – TR•POT, laureate bust of Augustus right.
Reverse: Large SC within laurel-wreath of eight leaves fastened at top with pellet, between inner and outer borders.
References: RPC 4247, McAlee 206b
Size: 26mm, 14g


Augustus, Ruled 27 BC-14 AD
AE30, Syria, Antioch Mint
Obverse: IMP•AVGVST• – TR•POT, laureate bust of Augustus right.
Reverse: Large SC within laurel-wreath of eight leaves fastened at top with pellet, between inner and outer borders.
Notes: Reverse is slightly double-struck, which is typical of this early issue (per Butcher, Coinage in Roman Syria).
References: RPC I 4247, McAlee 206b
Size: 30mm, 18.0g

(your's is double struck in the reverse like mine is here ^^^ too)

Also, more specifically, the V you're referring to is actually a Roman U, as thier alphabet didn't include a U or J, but they used V and I instead of them, so you'll see AUGUSTUS as AVGVSTVS and TRAJAN as TRAIAN.

 

thank you so very much for the attribution Antioch in Syria. I was completely wrong. I didn't even realize that the reverse is double struck.

I still don't get why there is a V or Roman U because AVGVST ends with a dot - it doesn't seem to be part of "AVGVST" unless they wanted to struck AVGVST•V and realized that the S wouldn't fit?

 

Just found one with a monogram below neck here: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=4799813
RPC 4260; McAlee 206c; BMC 7.

 

Oh I guess I didn't notice that previously at the bottom of his bust. In looking at Butcher's Coinage in Roman Syria, it appears you have coin type 54a.



Edit: Nice sleuthing!!

 

Yesssss!!! you nailed it! Thank you so very much!!