Caesarea Didrachm of Trajan - Hercules Club - Help, Please

I just got this today in a batch of Byzantine folles. Odd lot. Anyway, I know nothing about these, and have been working on attribution tonight.

Here's the problem - I have discovered that these come in several different variations of bust and legends. RPC Online has been most helpful - What seems closest is RPC 3000 - draped and cuirassed bust. The problem is, these are shown (and described) as seen from the back. Mine is seen from the front - or is it? The front/back bust thing confuses me sometimes.

https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/3/3000

Here is RPC 3000 from the site - bust from back:



Here's mine, bust from front, with an attempt at attribution. I could find no other bust from front types like this online:


Trajan Didrachm
Caesarea, Cappadocia
(112-117 A.D.)
[ΑΥΤ]ΟΚΡ ΚΑΙϹ ΝΕΡ ΤΡΑΙΑΝΟϹ ϹΕΒ ΓΕΡΜ ΔΑΚ laureate, draped & cuirassed bust
right, from front / ΔΗΜΑΡΧ [ΕΞ Υ]ΠΑΤΟ Ϛ, club of Hercules
Caesarea Syd 214; Metcalf 63c; RPC 3000 (var. bust from rear).
(6.44 grams / 22 x 18 mm)

Any help much appreciated.

Share your didrachms too - this is my first one. Any info on why Trajan was issuing these so extensively would be appreciated too. I found a few earlier posts:

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/trajan-caesarea.337084/#post-3466118
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/trajan-didrachm-recent-acquisition.302779/
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/from-the-mountains-of-cappadocia.291221/#post-2652772
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/is-this-a-genuine-roman-coin.345109/#post-3660703

 

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I find it interesting that a museum staff member decided to show the reverse inverted.

 

Some very patient, considerate people on this site recently helped me understand the difference between "seen from front" and "seen from back."

In the top coin of the OP, Trajan's shoulder is under his chin. He's seen from the back. On your coin, his shoulder is behind his ear. He's seen from the front.

It took me about half a page of help from members to finally figure it out. If you read through this thread, you can follow my tortured learning process and hopefully learn the difference, too:

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/question-seen-from-the-back-or-the-front.354752/

 

Thank you for that link, gsimonel - that is very, very helpful. And "tortured" indeed describes my learning curve on this... But I get it now!

Thanks.

 

This baffles me too. The RPC description even says: "Reverse design club, handle at bottom"

I took my photos both ways because I was confused, but settled on "handle up" because it seemed to fit the orientation of the inscription better.

 

I'm sorry I can't help you with a reference for one with that bust type. If you're not able to find anything, I would just catalog it as "RPC 3000 var. (bust)". You might send a photo and a description to the editors of RPC. They have included some coins I have sent them.

I have only have one provincial with this reverse type:


Septimius Severus, AD 193-211.
Roman provincial Æ assarion, 16.0 mm, 2.51 g, 1 h.
Moesia Inferior, Nicopolis ad Istrum.
Obv: ΑV Λ CΕVΗΡΟC, laureate head right.
Rev: ΝΙΚΟΠΟΛΙ ΠΡΟC ΙC, club.
Refs: AMNG I 1425; Moushmov 970.

 

Thanks RC. Er, do you have an RPC contact? - I've gone over the site home page, etc. and can't find a thing!

 

Click on "feedback" and you can leave comments, upload coin photos and everything!

 

The Septimius posted by RC is definitely handle at top. To me, the number of coins of this city of other types with legends starting at lower left make the difference on the clubs set by the legends rather than someone's idea of how to display your club. We have had the same discussions with anchors. Up and down are cultural matters on these types. I suppose you could say that about horseshoes but they don't appear on ancient coins.