I recently rediscovered in my collection this double denarius (antoninianus) of Probus whose coins are pretty common. This one seems to be in better than average condition with most of the silvering intact. It is Sear (1988 edition) 3340 with the ADVENTVS PROBI AVG, a slightly scarcer reverse. It weighs 4.2 grams. It shows the emperor Probus arriving presumably in Rome ca, 280 AD. If one looks closely at the reverse it appears that the die may have become filled with several letters very faint, but whose outlines seem visible. Am I correct that this indicates a (partially) filled or damaged die or is this just uneven wear? The A and NT. By the way below the horse, those marks. Are they control or mint or value marks? Thanks.
Because the wear is so uneven, a filled die is the most likely explanation. The letters in the exergue, which is the area under the horse, are the mint mark for the Rome mint.
Thanks. Yes, I see that the R to the left on the star mark below on the die's exergue also appears to be a filled die. I never noticed that until I took the photo and enlarged it.
I agree. Nice coin. The other thing to notice is that the thin layer of silvering on the surface has worn off the high points--including the raised letters--but it's still on all the "missing" letters--further evidence that these flat areas aren't the result of damage but were never raised in the first place.
Good eyes. I had not noticed that. I am familiar with filled dies from collecting US coinage where they are somewhat scarce. On ancient coins are they more or less common than modern coins?
Probably more common (percentage-wise). All dies were hand-cut, and the coins were all hand-stamped. Quality control varied widely but generally left a lot to be desired.
Very nice coin... I have a similar issue with lettering on the obverse of this otherwise nice Probus.. would this also be a filled die? RIC 215, Antoninianus OBV.: PROBVS P F AVG Radiate, and cuirassed bust right. REV.: VICTORIA AVG Victory advancing left, holding wreath and trophy. R (thunderbolt) S in exergue (if that is an "s" .. also see "stigma" (6) ?) 22mm, 4.5 g.
