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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;dougsmit, post: 1371944, member: 19463&quot;]It sure looked a bit young for Elagabalus but the coin is a dead ringer for coin 42 plate IV #10 in Bellenger, <b>The Syrian Tetradrachms of Caracalla and Macrinus </b>where it is given to Elagabalus.&nbsp; He comments that coins of Elagabalus have a capital B following Upato on the reverse dating the coin to 219 AD.&nbsp; After explaining a bit, he comments that Elagabalus is outside the area of his study but the coin still made the plates as did several from before and after the stated range.&nbsp; The coin is said to be available in &#039;large number&#039; with the later (older) portraits being more scarce.&nbsp; Bellinger also offers the opinion that they did not bother to change the reverse date for the final issues that followed 219 and there are no Elagabalus from Antioch with higher numbers than b=2.</p><p>&nbsp; </p><p>Edit:</p><p>I reread Bellinger and see that it was a gamma or delta used on the Caracalla&nbsp; but no betas because the young issues used Septimius&#039; consul numbers rather than Caracalla&#039;s.&nbsp; That would mean that the first tetradrachms of Antioch for Caracalla could be earlier than the date on them but Antioch did not get rights to coin back after the mistake of supporting Niger until 202 AD which would mean there could be no B issues for Caracalla or Septimius.&nbsp; That would explain his attributing the coin to Elagabalus.&nbsp; However, I could see someone arguing that the B coins could be the very first issue of Caracalla and dated in his own consulship series so I&#039;d not bet the farm on the Elagabalus ID either.&nbsp; It is certainly safest to give the coin to Elagabalus and quote Bellinger 42.</p><p><br /></p><p>When I first read this question, I forgot I owned Bellinger.&nbsp; It was in a box in my attic and not a book I have looked at much since I got it 20+ years ago.&nbsp; It is a nice book if you collect these coins but I only have a couple that are in it and have no idea why I bought it.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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