I’ve been eyeing Cassius Longinus Vesta coins - and am now bidding on one at auction, lost a first one at auction. Anyway I’m considering purchasing the one in the photo on vcoins if I lose the current auction I’m in. And if someone on this forum buys it because of this post, no I won’t be too sad. Just wondering what’s going on with the coin - it looks like the patina is starting to shrivel or peel or something… I uploaded a photo. also @DonnaML I’ve seen the post of yours, and boy oh boy it is nice: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/roman-republican-denarius-45.374815/#post-6245666
There's definitely something odd about the field to the left of Vesta's profile, but I don't know enough to explain it. Those marks don't really look like simple scratches. But otherwise, it's a great portrait. And thanks; my example is one of my favorites, both for the voting theme and for the portrait of Vesta.
For what it's worth, I notice that there is another Cassius Longinus Vesta on VCoins with even more pronounced "wrinkles":
idk...looks like tooling to me..but maybe its not. i've seemed to have seen such on a few of my coins too..
Lines are maybe because of obverse die damage from repeated use. In other words they were struck like that. Certainly not tooling. If tooled there should be gouges instead of raised lines.
One more thing, the OP coin may also have had a die shift between strikes. There seems to be a faint outline of Vesta's head on the left that wasn't completely obliterated by the possible second strike.
Don't have a Vesta... just another Cassius Longinus RR GAIUS CASSIUS LONGINUS & PUBLIUS CORNELIUS LENTULUS SPINTHER AR silver denarius. Struck circa 42 BC, at a mobile military mint moving with Brutus & Cassius, probably located in Smyrna. C CASSI IMP LEIBERTAS, veiled & draped bust of Libertas right. Reverse - LENTVLVS SPINT, jug & lituus. 18mm, 3.3g. Craw 500-5
L Cassius Longinus Ar Denarius 63 BC Obv bust of Vesta left veiled In right field serving dish. Rv. Voter togate standing left dropping ballot into cista before him Crawford 413/1 RBW 1493 3.93 grms 18 mm Photo by W. Hansen I really have no clue as to what might be in front of the face of Vesta in the coin posted by @vincentsandcoins. I can see that my obverse suffers from a tiny bit of a double strike. The coin posted above may be suffering from the same issue except that the mis strikes maybe a bit more pronounced and somewhat more numerous. Other than that i really have no answer.
