Here is my latest Alexandrian Tet featuring Marcus Aurelius as Augustus. My other is as Caesar. This coin seems pretty rare as I didn't find any others but @TIF did over at http://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/ So big thanks to her. Emmett says otherwise, but we know how book ratings are. Marcus Aurelius (161 - 180 A.D.) Egypt, Alexandria Billon Tetradrachm O: Μ ΑVΡΗ ΑΝΤωΝΙΝΟС С Laurete head left wearing cuirass and paludamentum. R: Tyche seated left, wearing kalathos, resting hand on rudder, holding cornucopia; in left field, Year Δ = Year 4 (163/4 A.D.) 21mm 12.98g Emmett 2085 Dattari 3393 Here is my other Tet of him as Caesar. Marcus Aurelius (139 - 161 A.D.) Egypt, Alexandria Billon Tetradrachm O: M AYRHLIOC KAICAR, bareheaded, draped and cuirassed bust right. R: Homonoia standing left by altar, holding patera and double cornucopiae. LI-Z across fields. Year 17 (of Antoninus Pius), 153-154 A.D. 12.81g 21mm Dattari 3150; Emmett 1850; Kampmann 37.67
Very cool @Mat ! You are pounding out the Tets, and you are getting the Caesar and Augustus versions. Nice. Like the toning on both, but for some reason, I favor the Augustus version.
Very nice, @Mat!!! I just got a Domitian Alex Tet delivered today. I'll photo and share it here when I get home. I see an L (doesn't that stand for "year"? Like L-B, L-Gamma, or the LI-Z?) but don't see a Delta... It's it off flan? Am I mistaken? Edit: Here it is...
It looks we're all becoming Tet heads. Iv'e got a Commodus coming tomorrow in the mail! It's all @TIF 's fault!
Thanks, everyone. It's off flan. I am going with the more common year, according to Emmett. Either way, still pretty rare from the looks of it.
Yes and you youngsters need to get off my Alexandrian lawn right now! I like your new tet, Mat. Having a youthful Caesar portrait and an wizened Augustus portrait is just good common sense. EGYPT, Alexandria. Marcus Aurelius as Caesar AE obol, 20.5 mm, 6.0 gm. Alexandria. Year 15 (CE 151/2) Obv: MAVPHΛICKAICAP; bust right, bare head Rev: Sphinx crouched right in the pose of the Great Sphinx of Giza; LIE (date) above in left field Ref: Emmett 1919.15, R5; Dattari 3221; RPC IV online 15684 EGYPT, Alexandria. Marcus Aurelius year 12, CE 171/2 AE diobol, 22 mm, 7.53 gm Obv: [MAV]PHΛIOC ANTω[ΝΙΝΟCCE]; laureate bust right Rev: Uraeus serpent erect left, wearing headdress; "holding" sistrum and grain ear; LI - B across upper fields Ref: Dattari 3605 and Pl. XXXII, 3605 (this coin). Dattari-Savio Pl. 193, 3605 (this coin); Geissen --; Emmett 2260.12, R5 ex Dattari collection (Giovanni Dattari, 1858-1923)
Justin, your coin is a diobol rather than a tetradrachm. Tetradrachms of that time were made of billon and looked more silvery. Also, your coin is smaller in diameter than tets of that time and it has that cast flan appearance typical of diobols (rounded or beveled flan). The weight of your coin is probably closer to 8 gm rather than the tetradrachm-ish 13 gm. Also, the year (which is spelled out on your coin's reverse) is ΕΤΟVΣ ΟΓΔΟΟV, or regnal year 8 (88/9 CE) rather than year 9 as is written on the old card that came with your coin. Your coin is Emmett 278 and the rarity rating is... not stated because the reverse isn't listed in Emmett for this year!! Cool! This reverse is known in Domitian diobols for regnal years 2 and 3 (R1), 4, 5, and 6 (R5), and 9 (R4).
@dougsmit, Justin's diobol is struck with the reverse on the rounded edge side and obverse on the sharp edge side. I recall you wondering if there was a convention to strike the obverse on the rounded side, as seems to be the case with Ptlolemaic coins and most such Roman Egyptian flans. I recall finding a smattering of Roman Egyptian obols which had the reverse struck on the rounded side but I don't recall seeing a diobol struck that way so I took a very hasty cruise through the first 200 "Egypt diobol" hits in ACsearch. I saw only four with this orientation: two diobols of Agrippina Jr, one of Otho, and one of Domitian. Edited: I scanned another fifty and saw several more examples of this orientation from various emperors. Maybe it's not as uncommon as first thought.
Understand: I really like the Emmett book and think all who have any interest should buy one now and thank the author for all his good work. HOWEVER, would it have killed him to note on the page that year eight and nine were spelled out rather than L numbered? This coin fooled the writer of the envelope (long before Emmett!). We expect the nine to be spelled out to avoid using the feared theta (that story has been told here several times before). I assume Dattari did not have an eight and the envelope writer probably saw the letters and forced the coin into a reading in his book. I see this as a great coin. If you pay off John Anthony maybe he will give you TIF's name in Secret Santa. I suspect she would like that coin. I can not grasp the ID of Mats OP tetradrachm. Where oes the legend start? 1 o'clock? Where is the delta? Further investigation showed that small AE like obols seem to come either way but drachms and hemidrachms are regularly curved on the obverse. While I agree that tetradrachms of this period should be a little gray there are some toned black. A blind person could separate the billon from the AE based on the difference in the way the flans were produced. No tet should show that tapered edge and similar sized obols/diobols all should. I believe all who have trespassed on her Alexandrian lawn should package up all Alexandrians and ship them off to TIF. She will then be expected to produce a book illustrating Emmett and distribute it to all CT friends in digital form. I could be unreasonable and ask that she do pencil rubbings like Dattari/Savio but digital photos are almost as good and many times easier. I wish I could promise you that she would return the coins when the work is finished but it might be necessary to keep them together for a while (don't hold your breath). TIF: Watch for my package. It should arrive shortly after you shovel out from the next blizzard. No fair moving!
Yes, it starts at 1 o'clock. The delta was Mat guessing about the date, picking one of the more common years for the type. @Mat, looking again I think I see a hint of Θ at the 3 o'clock edge of your coin's reverse. I found several more in RPC online too... here's one like yours with a theta in that location: http://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/4/14449/
(Sorry for resurrecting a few month old thread, but it seems relevant to post it here.) I just got a very similar MA tet but with his bust facing right: Marcus Aurelius BL Tetradrachm, Egypt, Alexandria Obverse: M AYΡHΛIOC ANTΩNINOC C (Ω inverted), laureate head right. Reverse: Tyche seated left, kalathos on head, holding rudder and cornucopiae; L-Є (date) RY 5 = 164/165 AD. References: Dattari 3394, Emmett 2085.5(?) Size: 23mm, 15g
