I thought this would be easy, but I have been having a tough time attributing this grubby little Marcus Aurelius denarius. The reverse type is common. What I can't get to line up are the bust types and titles. Bust: Laureate (no drapery, cuirasses, etc.) Obv. Title: M ANTONINVS AVG (no IMP, no other titles) Rev Title: TRP XVII RIC 73 is close, but has "IMP" obverse. RIC 49 is close, but has XVI As always, many thanks for your help.
Interesting - armed with RIC 66 information, I found a post on Coin Community Forum from 2012 where a similar coin (but with a draped bust) was causing problems (apparently unresolved back then). Original poster doesn't appear to be active anymore. https://www.coincommunity.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=116604&whichpage=1
That particular combination of obverse inscription and bust type is not listed for that reverse type in RIC III:
That is a pretty bewildering run of denarii. I wonder if that was official policy or if the celators had leeway in bust types/inscriptions at certain times? The more I explore Roman imperial coins, the more I am amazed at how consistent these things were.
