Just got the Summer ONS newsletter, and in there was an interesting article concerning obverse versus reverse. Basically it detailed proof of the portrait being the obverse on Greek and Roman coins. (most of the time) by die linkages and dies known and the presence of brockages almost exclusively of portraits. Btw, obverse for Greek and Roman classically being referred to as the lower die. After, they discussed other series where there was no die proof, with known dies being equal. There are also series being known to be struck alternatively obverse or reverse, specifically islamic coins. Since they were mixed, then there is a great debate as to which is the "obverse". Anyway, I thought it was a fun article and was wondering others opinions. Do you simply use the "head" side of the coin as obverse, or do you try to use the side struck on the lower die as obverse? Do you simply follow convention? Are there coins that you disagree which should be the obverse with others? Chris
I tend to refer the head side as the obverse but if the coin doesnt have a head of any sort then I consider the dated side as the obverse.
I prefer to call the obverse the side that was on the anvil or bottom die and the reverse the top or punch but there are some examples of this where the evidence is not conclusive or it is not worth a fight over such a matter. Standard references recognize that the head on silver of Syracuse and Corinth was on the reverse so I certainly go with that but there are some sestertii of the late Antonines that look to be reverse headed (cupped field tend to be on the reverse and flat fields on obverse) but I still call them all obverse portraits. My new favorite cheap coin is the bull and horseman jital but I really believe the bull was the reverse so I suppose I should call them the horseman and bull coins. I don't. "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Emerson
Yeah Doug, I was thinking of the Colts myself when I was thinking of inconsistencies. I still dislike calling the horse side the obverse.
I also tend to refer to the portrait side and the obv. as well. For a while I had all of my coins of Constantine and onward face down displaying he rev. Now I just display which side I like the most. I'm not always sure with Greek coinage though. Like Ephesos coins with the be and stag, though I assume the bee is the obv, or a coin of Demetrius Poliorketes shield/helmet. I went with the domed shielded side as the obv. For some reason though with Byzantine cup coins, to me, the domed side seems like the rev. I imagine that some werent obv or rev. just "the other side."
The schyphates are another interesing case. Usually you would assume the emperor was the obverse, but then again its Christ on the domed side. I still am conflicted on those, hearing various different theories as to how they were made. A medieval reenactor with a large library on ancient coinage techniques told me he can replicate them accurately only by punching them scyphate after he strikes the flans. Others still claim they were struck that way, and point to double strikes. They were so thin, though, that double strikes should have been common anyway, so I still lean toward them being punched after striking. Either way, they knew the domed side would wear down first, so I lean toward the Emperor side being the obverse, since that is the side they were hoping to keep from wearing down in circulation, (my opinion). Chris
Anvil die - on the bottom? Hammer die - on the top? That's all fine and dandy for a vertical press, but what would be the determining factor for a horizontal press? Chris
I guess I have never read about horizontal presses. Basically the stationary die is the obverse, and the moving die is the reverse. On horizontal presses do just one side move? It is the fact that the die that is moving takes the stronger force in the collision, and because of that they put less engraving effort into that die, that historically dictated obverse versus reverse. Chris
Now, I can understand why the moving die is considered the "tails" side. How often have some people heard their boss say, "Get your butts in gear and get moving!" Chris, too!
Almost all cupped Byzantine coins should be double struck if the theory I prefer holds. The dies were curved but the arc might not match exactly so they struck twice tilting the punch between the two. If the curves matched and the tilt was straight there would be little doubling but usually there is slippage.
