So-called "centration dimples" annoy me.

I haven't seen other similar examples now that I think of it. A mystery to be sure.

 

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Flans for silver coins were not treated to the same surfacing techniques which resulted in the so-called centration dimples on the Æ's. What you have here is a test punch - very common on Hellenistic-era silver as a proof that they were not silver-wrapped copper fourrèes. Mostly they seem to have been done with knives or chisels resulting in broad and disfiguring cleavages, so this smallish round punch hidden within Alexander/Hercules' ear is quite unobtrusive as test punches go.

 

Here's one of Geta with a dimple:

AE 27mm, 10.7 grams, Nicopolis





Not so obvious on Nemesis on the reverse

 

To me, centration dimples are utterly normal and expected. They only bother me when they obliterate someone's nose or land exactly centered in the crotch area of some God or Goddess. One coin I have has Asclepius' manhood completely obliterated. Ouch. I'm sure ancient peoples made jokes about such things.

What did Diogenes say? " I have come to debase the coinage." People defaced coins even back then, but centration dimples were common.

Looking deep inside dimples can help to authenticate a coin.

 

Any speculation on why these occur on Egyptian coins under the Ptolemies but not under the Romans?

Any speculation why these occur on coins from Greek mints under the Romans but not during the Hellenistic era?

Why did both regions switch to the other style?

 

Well, for pure unscholarly speculation...

Maybe when Egypt "fell" to Roman Rule, Roman mint workers were brought in, supplanting the Egyptian mint workers? Maybe the Egyptian mint workers refused to divulge their techniques? Maybe the Egyptian flan making process was more time-consuming, making the Roman techniques superior in terms of production capacity per unit time?

 

Thank you Roman Collector that was very helpful and I learnt something new!