Reverse die match to SNG Copenhagen plate coin?

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Roman Collector, Mar 2, 2018.

?

Is this a reverse die match to the plate coin in SNG Copenhagen?

  1. Yes, it is!

    1 vote(s)
    25.0%
  2. Quite possibly.

    1 vote(s)
    25.0%
  3. Umm ... I'm not so sure about that.

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  4. No way, Jose!

    2 vote(s)
    50.0%
  1. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    I received this coin in the mail earlier this week:

    Stratoniceia Senate-Nike.jpg
    Time of Commodus
    Quasi-autonomous AE 26.1 mm, 8.01 g, 5 h
    Ionia, Smyrna, Strategos Kl. Stratoneikianos, AD 182-184
    Obv: ΙЄΡΑ ϹVΝ [ΚΛΗΤΟϹ], draped bust of Senate, right
    Rev: CΤΡ•CΤΡΑΤΟΝЄΚ[ΙΑΝΟV СΜVΡΝΑΙΩΝ], Winged Nemesis of Smyrna, advancing right, plucking chiton and holding bridle
    Refs: RPC IV 278 (temp); Klose XV B a; SNG Cop. 1304.

    I have tracked down the listing in SNG Copenhagen and I believe my coin is a reverse die match to the Copenhagen plate coin. First, here's the listing:*

    cop 1304 text_1 closeup.jpg
    *We now know it's from the time of Commodus, not Severus, because Kl. Stratoneikianos was magistrate from AD 182-184.

    Note how the listing mentions that the first iota in CΤΡΑΤΟΝЄΙΚΙΑΝΟV (the name of the magistrate (Strategos) Kl. Stratoneikianos) is uncertain. My coin's inscription reads CΤΡΑΤΟΝЄΚ[...]. This is a spelling variation from other coins from this issuing authority such as this one, this one, and the RPC listing for my coin, which all read CΤΡΑΤΟΝЄΙΚΙΑΝΟV with an iota between the Є and the Κ.

    Therefore, I suspect that my coin is a reverse die-match to the Copenhagen plate coin:

    cop 1304 plate_1 closeup.jpg

    A side-to-side comparison shows an excellent correspondence between the shape of the visible letters of the reverse inscription and between the letters' relationship to the Nemesis figure:

    Stratoniceia Senate-Nike comparison to Copenhagen.jpg

    I think it's a match? What do you think?
     
    chrsmat71 likes this.
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  3. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    It might be an obverse die match, too, but it's too worn to tell.
     
  4. roman99

    roman99 Well-Known Member

    Not sure about that, the winged nemesis looks thicker on the plate.
     
  5. TIF

    TIF Always learning.

    I'm not sure either but I think it is likely a match. I played with it a bit in photoshop, superimposing one on the other (with the top coin somewhat transparent in order to line them up). The reverse legend lines up rather well. The cited coin looks a bit broader, as in distorted by shooting angle (or conversely, your coin being distorted in the opposite direction). Correcting for that makes it work for major reference points of Nemesis.

    A die match between two provincial coins wouldn't be particularly unusual, would it? With provincial coins, we've seen examples on this board of two coins with different reverses having die matched obverses.
     
    Roman Collector and dougsmit like this.
  6. 7Calbrey

    7Calbrey Well-Known Member

    I was going to comment just like TIF. It's likely to be a match.
     
    Roman Collector likes this.
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