Left-facing busts

Let's see your left-facing busts, particularly those that "aren't supposed to be" left-facing.

Left-facing busts aren't unusual on Greek coins:


Philistis, wife of Hieron II
AR 5 Litrae
Syracuse, Sicily, 270-230 B.C.E
4.46 gm 18.1 mm
Obv: Diademed and veiled head, l., palm branch behind.
Rev: ΒΑΣΙΛΙΣΣΑΣ ΦΙΛΙΣΤΙΔΟΣ, Nike driving biga to left, E (=5) in l. field.
Refs: SNG ANS-893; SNG III (Lockett)-1017; Forrer 196; Burnett pl. 4, 50.

Left-facing busts aren't particularly unusual on Roman provincial issues when depicting the wife of an emperor, either:


AUGUSTUS AND LIVIA
Roman provincial AE 31
Spain, Hispalis, Colonia Romula, AD 14-29
21.48 g, 31 mm
Obv: PERM DIVI AVG COL ROM, radiate head of Augustus r.; thunderbolt before, star above.
Rev: IVLIA AVGVSTA GENETRIX ORBIS, head of Livia, l.; globe beneath, crescent above.
Refs: RPC-73; SGI-189; Heiss 393, 2; Cohen 169, 3; Alvarez-Burgos 1587; Lindgren II 69; SNG Tubingen 118; SNG Copenhagen 423.13.35.


Claudius and Agrippina II
AE 12 Nummia
Bosporos, under King Kotys I, AD 50-54
9.30 gm; 25.0 mm
Obv: ΤΙ ΚΛΑΥΔΙΟΥ ΚΑΙCΑΡΟC, laureate head of Claudius, right.
Rev: ΙΟΥΛΙΑΝ ΑΓΡΙΠΠΙΝΑΝ CΕΒΑCΤΗΝ, head of Agrippina II, left, in loop ponytail; BAK before.
Refs: SGI 5438; RPC 1925; BMC 13.52,7; Anokhin Bosporus 348; SNG Copenhagen 31.

Left-facing busts are quite common on LRBC, such as:


Probus, 276-282
Roman billon Antoninianus
Ticinium mint, AD 280-82
3.25 g; 21.7 mm
Obv: VIRTVS PROBI AVG, Radiate, helmeted, cuirassed bust, left, holding spear and shield.
Rev: SALVS AVG, Salus standing right, feeding serpent held in arms. V in left field; * in right field, TXXI in exergue.
Refs: RIC-500; Cohen 584.


Licinius II, 317-324
Roman AE Follis
Antioch, AD 317-318
17.55 mm; 3.36 gm
Obv: DN VAL LICIN LICINIVS NOB C, laureate bust left, holding mappa in right hand and globe and scepter in left.
Rev: IOVI CONSERVATORI CAESS, Jupiter standing left, holding victory on globe; resting on scepter; captive at left. H in right field; SMANT in exergue.
Refs: RIC-29; Sear-15415.


Julian II, 361-363
Roman Silvered AE 3 Centenionalis
Antioch mint, AD 363-363
3.16 gm; 18.3 mm
Obv: D N FL CL IVLIANVS P F, helmeted and cuirassed bust, left, holding spear and shield.
Rev: VOT X MVLT XX, legend within wreath; in exergue: ANTA between two palm fronds.

However, it's unusual to see a left-facing bust on a Roman Imperial issue prior to the mid 3rd century AD. This, for example, is a variant that is not recorded in Sear, Cohen, or RIC. It is an obverse die match (different reverse die) to lot 1292, CNG Mail Bid sale 57, April 4, 2001:


Faustina Jr, under Antoninus Pius, 147-161
Roman AE middle bronze
11.10 gm; 25.3 mm
Obv: FAVSTINA AVG PII AVG FIL, bare-headed and draped bust, left.
Rev: IVNO SC, Juno seated left, holding the three graces and scepter; at feet, peacock.
Compare to: RIC 1400; Cohen 128.

 

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All Augustus

 

CALIGULA
Claudius

Nero


Vespasian


Hadrian

 

I'm not sure what you mean by 'not supposed to be' but I suspect these qualify.
Septimius Severus denarius Emesa mint:


Geta as Rome mint:

 

Although I have quite a few left facing busts, Augustus,Claudius this Hadrian Galley Sestertius is left with the majority of examples right.

 

• 
  LYCAONIA. Iconium (as Claudiconium), Hadrian, AE17
  Obv: ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟС ΚΑΙСΑΡ. Bare head left.
  Rev: ΚΛΑΥΔЄΙΚΟΝΙЄωΝ. Perseus standing facing, head right, holding harpa and severed head of Medusa.
  RPC III 2825; SNG France 2286
  (The picture is harsh; the coin looks better in hand.)

A heroic back and neck pose!

The reverse is also artistically unusual, because it shows Perseus holding the head of Medusa high in the air, like a Renaissance sculpture, and not low to the ground as he does in his constellation.

• 
  

 

Whoa!

 

this is my only left facing byzantine coin, lefties are kind of weird for them.



Maurice Tiberius, 587-588 AD, Decanummium

O: Diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust left; DNMA (VRI)CI, IND ς (zeta, date year 6) in ex. R:Cross set on three steps; N M flanking; X in exergue. Carthage mint. SB 566. 18 mm, 3.9 g.

 

It hangs a bit to the left ... ummm, that's normal, right?

 

... that's all I got



Ya gotta love dem Lefty-Romans, eh?

 

LOL, It is "How do you dress..." in tailor terms

 

Great group of lefties!

The Flavians issued quite a number of left facing portraits, I'll just post one for each that are notable.


Vespasian
AR Denarius, 3.41g
Rome mint, 76 AD
RIC 853 (R2), BMC p. 34 note, RSC 374
Obv: IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG; Head of Vespasian, bare, l.
Rev: PON MAX TR P COS VII; Pax, bare to the waist, seated l., holding branch extended in r. hand, l. hand on lap
Ex Private Collection.

An exceedingly rare denarius from 76. Left facing, bare head, and COS VII combine to make this an exceptional coin. This is the 7th known specimen.




Titus
AR Denarius, 2.92g
Rome mint, 80 AD
RIC 132 (R2), BMC - , RSC -
Obv: IMP TITVS CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M; Head of Titus, laureate, bearded, l.
Rev: TR P IX IMP XV COS VIII P P; Tripod, with fillets streaming out l. and r., on which are ravens r. and l., and in the center, dolphin over wreath
Ex Harry N. Sneh Collection.

This type is very rare with left facing portrait. In all the years I've collected Flavian denarii this is the only one I've ever been offered or seen for sale. RIC cites only an ebay specimen, where are the others?



Domitian
AR Denarius, 2.90g
Rome mint, 84 AD
RIC 183 (R3), BMC - , RSC -
Obv: IMP CAES DOMITIANVS AVG GERMANIC; Bust of Domitian, laureate, draped, bearded, l.
Rev: P M TR POT III IMP V COS X P P; Minerva stg. r. on capital of rostral column, with spear and shield; to r., owl (M2)
Acquired from Forvm Ancient Coins, April 2014.

An extremely rare draped, left facing bust from 84 AD. Second known example of the type.

 

Kamarina, Sicily tetradrachm, c 420-415 BC, left-facing bust of bearded Herakles



Syracuse, Sicily tetradrachm, c 413-405 BC



Syracuse, Sicily AV 50 litrai / dekadrachm, c 400-370 BC



Thermai Himerensis, Sicily tetradrachm, c 370-350 BC



Lokri Opuntii, Lokris stater, c 370-360 BC

 

I love ya, ancientnut ... but they frowned on Lefty Greeks



... oh, I mean => go for it!! (it's not my thread)

 

I have a few I think may kinda belong.




Leftish

 

And Romans, too..."Left" in Latin is "sinister". I'm left-handed, too!

 

Here's a two-fer. The "left facing bust" part is covered by the depiction of Vologases II on this little Parthian diobol. The "aren't supposed to be left-facing" part is covered by the seated archer on the reverse, who is supposed to be facing right. The die engraver got a bit mixed up on this one, much to my pleasure.

Vologases II, 77 - 80 AD
Sellwood "Numismatic Chronicle" 1989, type 3 variant

 

Here are a few left-facing Romans of mine

Octavian/Augustus:


Claudius:


Nero:


Nero again:


Philip I - a bit unusual as it's not in RIC or RSC with reverse legend AVG, just AVGG; but it is in Cohen.


Pius IX - probably cheating, but he was also a Pontifex Maximus and ruler in Rome. Also, the church on the reverse is on the site of a chapel built by Constantine I (there's a good depth to the reverse in-hand).


ATB,
Aidan.

 

welcome @akeady !