This is why is specialise...

I bought this coin recently. The off-centre strike on the obverse put everyone else off this eastern Spes meaning that I bought it for a fraction of what an eastern Spes retails for. But as some of you will know, I specialise in some of the sub-series in this series and have seen this die before...... I can confirm my reading of the obverse die through obverse die matches in my collection and it comes from a series of coins that have shortened variations of the titles in the obverse legend when compared to the normal issue which would read "IMP CAE L SEP SEV PERT AVG COS II". I have 9 different obverse die variations in this sub-series and this takes me reverse count from this obverse die to 3.

Septimius Severus denarius
Obv:– IMP CA L SEP SEV PER AVG COS II, laureate head right
Rev:– BONA SPES, Spes standing holding flower and lifting skirt
Minted in Emesa. A.D. 194
Reference:– BMC -. RIC -. RSC -.

3.38 g. 18.58 mm. 0 degrees



Obv:– IMP CA L SEP SEV - PER AVG COS II, Laureate head right
Rev:– BONI EVENTVS, Fides (Bonus Eventus - RIC) standing left, basket of fruit in right, two heads of grain in left
Minted in Emesa. A.D. 194 – A.D. 195
Reference:– BMCRE -. RIC -. RSC -.



Obv:–IMP CA L SEP SEV PER AVG COS II, Laureate head right
Rev:– VICTO-R AV-G, Victory advancing left, holding wreath and palm
Minted in Emesa. A.D. 194 - 195
References:– BMCRE -. RIC -. RSC -.

 

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Nice find. I imagine it is fun to tease out so much information from the coin.

This is getting dangerously close to being transported back to 194 A.D. and actually watching the coins being produced. Maybe you can ask the people stamping the coins why they changed the reverse dies, since it seems that obverse dies, which had the emperor's image, were changed more often.

 

I also look for reverse die links to tie these with other coins to determine their chronology relative to other the issues. This is proving harder than I had hoped and I have not yet found solid evidence....

At least it keep me busy with the hunt

 

Super cool! I was a little confused at first what the L stood for, until I looked up Septimus Severus's full name and found it was Lucius Septimius Severus.

I guess it's kind of like the early coins of Antoninus Pius that say IMP T AEL CAES HADR(I) ANTONINVS, for "Imperator Caesar Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus." Yeah, I know that's a little out of order, but that was how he was officially styled when he became emperor, until the consecration of Hadrian, when "Pius" was added.

 

Neat variety and quite a collection of eastern Severans.

 

Here are the other coins from the sub-series in my collection from the other obverse dies....

Obv:– IMP CA L SE SEV PER AVG COS II, Laureate head right
Rev:– BONA SPES, Spes standing holding flower and lifting skirt.

Rev:– LIBE-R AVG, Liberalitas seated left, holding abacus in right hand, cornucopiae in left

Rev:– MONET AVG, Moneta standing left, holding scales in right hand, cornucopiae in left

 

Obv:– IMP CA L SEP SEV - PER AVG COS II, Laureate head right
Rev:– BONA SPES, Spes standing holding flower and lifting skirt

Rev:– FORT REDVC, Fortuna (Hilaritas), standing front, head left, holding long palm and cornucopiae

Rev:– IOVI VICT, Jupiter, seated left, holding Victory and sceptre

 

Obv:– IMP CA L SE SEV PER AV COS II, Laureate head right
Rev:– FORT R-D-DVC, Fortuna, seated left, holding rudder and cornucopia

Rev:– IOVI VICTORI, Jupiter, seated left, holding Victory and sceptre

Rev:– MART-I V-ICTORI, Mars advancing right carrying spear and trophy.

 

Obv:– IMP CA L SEP SE_V PER AVG COS II, Laureate head right
Rev:– FORT REDVC, Fortuna(?) standing left holding cornucopia and sceptre

Rev:– LIBE-R AVG, Liberalitas standing left, holding abacus in right hand, cornucopiae in left

 

Obv:– IMP CA L SE SEV PEVR (sic) AVG COS I-I, Laureate head right
Rev:– BONA SPES, Spes standing holding flower and lifting skirt.

Rev:– BONI ENTVS (sic), Fides standing left holding basket of fruit and corn ears

 

Obv:– IMP CA L SEP S-EV PER AVG COS - II, Laureate head right
Rev:– LIBE-R AVG, Liberalitas standing left, holding abacus in right hand, cornucopiae in left

 

Obv:– IMP CA L SE SEV PER AG COS II, Laureate head right
Rev:– BONA SPES, Spes standing holding flower and lifting skirt

Rev:– FORT REDVC, Fortuna standing left, holding rudder & cornucopia

Rev:– FORT REDVC, Fortuna standing left, holding long scepter & cornucopia

different rev die

Rev– LIBER AVG, Liberalitas standing left, holding abacus in right hand, cornucopiae in left

Rev:– MART-I V-ICTORI, Mars advancing right carrying spear and trophy.

 

Looks like you need a spreadsheet to keep track of all the different die match combinations.

 

Super interesting and nice collection! I've been gazing over severans for the last half year as many of them come to a pretty good price considering the grade. I still haven't got any but looking for specific variations so the hunt is on.

 

The maridvnvm collection of this sub-sub-sub specialty is certainly magnificent. I collect the first level specialty (Eastern Severan) but do not emphasize this sub of the Syrian mint coins (Eastern Severan, Syrian, COS dated, shortened titles). I do have other subs of that sub (e.g. COS dated but not COS II, VICTOR IVST, Minerva varieties and unusual portrait styles) and, more significantly, tend toward the Alexandrian over the Syrian. The point here is that specialists can specialize in such a way that they might not overlap all that much in their eyes while outsiders might think they have the same obsessions. Perhaps that is why I have so little to say to those who consider all coins of Septimius Severus to be the same. Similarly, I often will disappoint people who expect me to have some answer about the later coins of Septimius from the Rome mint since I am mostly interested in coins made during the civil wars (193-196AD or so). I imagine other specialists in other subjects miss that I do not subdivide those interests but, to me, all Otho denarii look alike to a way specialists in his coins might not understand.

 

Wow, nice coins and thread. Be safe

 

thanks for sharing the coin and your insights!
I concentrate on RR coins and only buy Imperial when something hits me. I do like your thoughts on how the dies were used in the minting process. I suspect a lot of the process is similar to RR coining.
Have you decided an order of die use based on die wear? Were the dies touched up to fix wear or cracks?

 

You've certainly made an eloquent case for specialization at this level. ...No, let's say, cogent and eloquent; it works on both levels. Pretty amazing.

 

Wow! Thank you for sharing this with us! That's an awesome collection and you should consider publishing a paper on your studies, really cool.

 

NICE EARLY ERROR COIN, I HAVE A FRENCH ONE FROM THE 1400'S ALSO HAND HAMMERED, IT HAS DOUBLING