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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;benhur767, post: 2967059, member: 36818&quot;]Here are some coins of Elagabalus minted in the East, where it was fairly common for the engraver to run out of room for the G in AVG on the obverse. Solution for the first three coins: make it part of the emperor&#039;s drapery. No problem! Solution for the fourth coin: make the G really tiny. Again, no problem!</p><p><br /></p><p>Also, on the fourth coin, the counter of the P in TEMP is solid. <i>Counter</i> is a typographic term for the negative space in the enclosed part of a letterform.</p><p><br /></p><p>Some incidental observations that aren&#039;t related to the theme of the thread but still cool anyway. The depiction of Spes on the third coin is unusual in that some kind of footwear is indicated, like short boots. She&#039;s almost invariably shown barefoot, but not here! Then again, she might be barefoot and the little protrusions could indicate the bottom cuffs of an Eastern-style pantaloon. But it seems unlikely that she would be hitching her skirt while also wearing trousers. It does also look like she&#039;s wearing heels, unless those are her own anatomical heels, in which case they&#039;re quite inelegant.</p><p><br /></p><p>I also like the oversized flans often found on these Eastern coins. On the coins that were struck far enough off center, you can see how the metal started to curl around the edge of the die. It&#039;s a visual indication of the diameter of the die relative to the diameter of the image area within it. Similar to a footprint, this impression is indirect evidence that implies the form of the tool itself.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]727279[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]727280[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]727282[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]727291[/ATTACH]</p><p><b>Elagabalus.</b> AR denarius, Eastern mint, struck 218–9 CE; 20mm, 3.36g, 7h. BMCRE 282–3, RIC 190, RSC 54. Obv: ANTONINVS PIVS FEL AVG; laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right. Rx: HILARITA–S – AVG; Hilaritas standing front, looking left, holding patera or wreath and long palm, between two naked children who look up at her with outstretched hands. Rare; six specimens in the Reka Devnia hoard.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Elagabalus.</b> AR denarius, Eastern mint, struck 218–9 CE; 20mm, 3.04g, 8h. BMCRE 279, RIC 189, RSC 47a. Obv: ANTONINVS PIVS FEL AVG; laureate and draped bust right. Rx: FORTVNA – REDVX; Fortuna wearing <i>polos</i> (RSC says <i>modius</i>), seated left, holding patera and cornucopiae; beside seat, wheel. Rare; only three in Reka Devnia, but Mouchmov does not distinguish between bust variants with and without cuirass; those without cuirass (as the present coin) seem to be significantly rarer.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Elagabalus.</b> AR denarius, Eastern mint, struck 219 CE. 19mm, 3.11g, 7h. BMCRE 313–4, RIC 199, RSC 273. Obv: IMP ANTO–NINVS AVG; laureate bust right, draped and cuirassed. Rx: SPEI PER–PETVAE; Spes walking left, holding up flower and raising hem of skirt. Scarce; eighteen specimens in the Reka Devnia hoard.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Elagabalus.</b> AR denarius, Eastern mint, struck 219 CE; 19mm, 3.18g, 12h. BMCRE 277, RIC 188, RSC 27a. Obv: ANTONINVS PIVS FEL AVG; laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right. Rx: FELICIT–AS / TEMP in exergue; ship with sail, seven rowers, and pilot; standard and acrostolium on stern, furled sail at prow. Scarce; sixteen specimens in the Reka Devnia hoard.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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