I am having a terrible time identifying the figure on the reverse of this pentassarion from Mesembria in Thrace! I've done a search at acsearchinfo, looked at Wildwinds, online Moushmov, Lindgren, Wiczay, Mionnet supplement 2, and the BMC catalog and nothing! Does anyone know which deity this is? Anyone have Varbanov or Karayotov? Anyone know of a reference for this coin? Any help appreciated! Thanks! Here's the coin: Gordian AD 238-244 and Tranquillina. Roman provincial Æ 28.6 mm, 11.36 g, 7 h. Thrace, Mesembria, AD 241-244. Obv: ΑVΤ Κ Μ ΓΟΡΔΙΑΝΟC ΑVΓ CΕΒ-ΤΡΑΝΚVΛ|ΛΙΝΑ, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Gordian and draped bust of Tranquillina, wearing stephane, confronted. Rev: ΜΕCΑΜΒΡ-Ι-ΑΝΩΝ, Demeter standing left, wearing stephane, holding phiale and long torch. Refs: Varbanov 4190, citing Karajatov 83; SNG Copenhagen --; BMC --; Moushmov --; Lindgren --; Mionnet suppl 2 --; Sear --; Wiczay --. The only standing female deity I can find on coins of Gordian and Tranquillina from this city who holds a patera is Homonoia -- but she wears a modius and holds a cornucopia: Interestingly, the obverse die has some damage and is a match to the obverse die of this coin sold by Roma:
Hmm, I don't know who the reverse figure is and doubt I can research it better than you already have. I don't agree about the obverse die match though. Did you link the wrong coin? I don't see any long boots. Can you point out what you're seeing?
Oh. I was looking at the coin immediate above it in your OP . You're right, of course. Your coin's obverse is a match to the Roma coin... not to the second coin shown in your OP. I thought you had lost your mind. Turns out I had .
I wonder if it's Demeter. Moushmov 4016 is a coin of Philip and Otacilia from this city with Demeter standing left, holding patera and long torch: But stylistically, that doesn't much resemble the reverse figure on my coin, though her accouterments are the same:
Yours is Varbanov 4201 (R5) - Homonoia, "but without kalathos." However, the obverse legend listed for it is AVT K M AN ΓOPΔIANOC TPANKVΛΛIN, so yours would be a variety with a different obverse legend. Unless, the legend in Varbanov is erroneous; unfortunately, that entry isn't illustrated.
I'm not so sure Varbanov 4201 is correct. @Jochen has an example on his page attributed to 4201 and his depicts Homonoia with a cornucopia, not a scepter or long torch. Interestingly, his is an obverse die-match to my coin: Similarly, this page shows five examples of a coin listed as Varbanov 4201, and it has the same reverse as Jochen's:
Yup, my bad, sorry. It should be Varbanov 4190 (R5) - "Demeter stg l., holding phiale and long torch."
Thanks so much! That has to be it. I can't find a single other example of this coin online. I've been looking all over, too.
The obverse die must have a bunch of damage. There appear to be cuds between the portraits on these examples: Mine: Jochen's: Roma Numismatic's example: