This is why is specialise...

Recently in auction I noticed a nice Severus with COS I legend and an error, PEPT instead of PERT.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Septimius Severus. 193-211 AD. AR Denarius (19x17mm; 3.08 gm; 6h). Emesa mint. Struck 194 AD. Obv: Laureate head right. Rev: Fortuna standing left, holding long palm and cornucopia. RIC IV 383; RSC 175a

 

I bought my first of these in 1963 and thought it was unique for many years. I now have three using three reverse dies and two obverses including the PEPT which also was used with several other reverses. It was the subject of my article published in 1967 in the Voice of the Turtle magazine and of my first web page:
http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/feac6.html
Look closely at the S in SEV and see if you agree with my theory on that page. Yours is a very nice specimen. I believe maridvnvm has a couple of these and sevearl with other obverses. It turns out, oddly, that the scarce variety with this reverse is the one with COS II. It seems they made rather few of them after the date change.

 

hello @dougsmit ,
it is clear that the S has been re-engraved to fix it. Is there any evidence of the use of the sigma for other local emissions?
about the PEPT I personally think that the engraver simply missed to finish the letter and was not a grammar error. you can see on the reverse of my specimen below how the R has been realized with two punches, one with the P and a second punch to conclude the letter.
the problem in this theory is that there are too many PEPT.