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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Roman Collector, post: 3172854, member: 75937&quot;]That&#039;s a common question, [USER=74818]@britannia40[/USER] , and it&#039;s a relevant one. Those indentations are commonly called &quot;centration dimples.&quot; What annoys me about this term is that they don&#039;t have anything to do with centration. The indentations almost certainly resulted from lathe-turning of the flan to prepare it for striking. The best explanation about this technique of flan preparation can be found <a href="http://www.classicalcoins.com/flans1.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.classicalcoins.com/flans1.html" rel="nofollow">here</a> at Classical Coins’ website.</p><p><br /></p><p>But they can certainly ruin a portrait, as on the second example in my original post. POW! Right on the empress&#039;s cheek:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]815869[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>And while we&#039;re playing the die-match game, I notice my Serapis coin was struck with the same obverse die as one in my collection with Athena standing right, with the empress&#039;s face similarly marred by the dimple. Pow! Right on the empress&#039;s nose:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]815893[/ATTACH] </p><p>Gordian III, AD 238-244, with Tranquillina.</p><p>Roman provincial Ӕ Tetrassarion; 12.97 g, 26.7 mm, 7:00.</p><p>Thrace, Anchialus, AD 241-244.</p><p>Obv: AVT K M ANT ΓOPΔIANOC AVΓ CЄB/ TPANKVΛ/ΛEINA, laureate and draped bust of Gordian right, facing diademed and draped bust of Tranquillina left.</p><p>Rev: OVΛΠIANWN AΓXIAΛEWN, Athena standing facing, head right, holding inverted spear and resting on shield.</p><p>Refs: Varbanov 748; BMC --; Moushmov --.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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