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Tiberius Bronze As (Pontif Maxim), "R3" in RIC: Q. re Authenticity
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<p>[QUOTE="DonnaML, post: 7800614, member: 110350"]I recently purchased, from a dealer in the UK whom I believe to be reputable, what purports to be an example of the Tiberius bronze As with the "Pontif Maxim"/seated Livia design that's the equivalent of the design on the so-called "Tribute Penny" denarius. I have not yet received the coin; in fact, I don't believe the dealer has sent it out yet. Here is my description, together with the dealer's photo:</p><p><br /></p><p>Tiberius, AE As, 15-16 AD, Rome Mint [bronze equivalent of “Tribute Penny” design]. Obv. Bare head right, TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVST IMP VII / Rev. Draped female figure [<i>Livia, or Livia as Pax or Justitia</i>]* seated right,</p><p>with feet on stool, holding long sceptre with left hand and patera with extended right hand, PONTIF MAXIM TRIBVN POTEST XVII, S-C across fields. RIC I (Rev. ed. 1984) Tiberius 33 [listed as “R3”; see p. 96], BMCRE I Tiberius 65, cf. Sear RCV I 1769 (<i>var.</i> with Tiberius facing left). 28 mm., 10.9 g.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1339518[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>*See RIC I Tiberius, Introduction at p. 87: “As a type, the ‘Pontif. Maxim.’ design was far from informative. Modern scholars are not agreed upon its interpretation, some regarding the seated female figure as Livia in the guise of Pax, some as Pax-Justitia, some simply as the priestess Livia, revered as the wife of the first imperial <i>pontifex maximus</i> and the stepmother of the second. Its significance in the ancient world can hardly have been much more immediate than it is to the modern, and it was probably viewed as a type suggesting (in association with the legend) nothing more definite than sanctity.”</p><p><br /></p><p>I've purchased from this dealer before, and it didn't occur to me to question this coin's authenticity until I realized that the version of this As with Tiberius facing right is listed in RIC I as "R3" (see Tiberius 33, p. 96), meaning only "up to about 10 specimens" probably known (see id. p. xxii), with the left-facing version (Tiberius 34) merely listed as "scarce." I could find only five examples of Tiberius 33 on acsearch. (See <a href="https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?term=Tiberius++As+Pontif+Maxim++33++AE&category=1&lot=&thesaurus=1&images=1&en=1&de=1&fr=1&it=1&es=1&ot=1&currency=usd&order=1" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?term=Tiberius++As+Pontif+Maxim++33++AE&category=1&lot=&thesaurus=1&images=1&en=1&de=1&fr=1&it=1&es=1&ot=1&currency=usd&order=1" rel="nofollow">https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?term=Tiberius++As+Pontif+Maxim++33++AE&category=1&lot=&thesaurus=1&images=1&en=1&de=1&fr=1&it=1&es=1&ot=1&currency=usd&order=1</a>.) Comparing the example I bought to this example on acsearch sold by Bertolami in 2020 (28 mm., 11.16 g.), the details on mine look quite a bit softer and less sharp than on the Bertolami example (especially on the reverse), making me worry that mine might be a cast fake:</p><p><br /></p><p> [ATTACH=full]1339526[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>I have little doubt that the dealer will issue a refund if the coin he sold me turns out to be a fake, especially under the rules of the Ancient and Medieval Coins Sales group on Facebook where I made the purchase. However, I don't want to raise the issue without first soliciting opinions more expert than mine. Nobody questioned the coin when it was posted in the group, despite the presence in the group of some very well-known dealers and other experts (not that I can assume that any of them looked closely at this particular coin). I would be happy to learn that my suspicions are unfounded! What do people think?[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="DonnaML, post: 7800614, member: 110350"]I recently purchased, from a dealer in the UK whom I believe to be reputable, what purports to be an example of the Tiberius bronze As with the "Pontif Maxim"/seated Livia design that's the equivalent of the design on the so-called "Tribute Penny" denarius. I have not yet received the coin; in fact, I don't believe the dealer has sent it out yet. Here is my description, together with the dealer's photo: Tiberius, AE As, 15-16 AD, Rome Mint [bronze equivalent of “Tribute Penny” design]. Obv. Bare head right, TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVST IMP VII / Rev. Draped female figure [[I]Livia, or Livia as Pax or Justitia[/I]]* seated right, with feet on stool, holding long sceptre with left hand and patera with extended right hand, PONTIF MAXIM TRIBVN POTEST XVII, S-C across fields. RIC I (Rev. ed. 1984) Tiberius 33 [listed as “R3”; see p. 96], BMCRE I Tiberius 65, cf. Sear RCV I 1769 ([I]var.[/I] with Tiberius facing left). 28 mm., 10.9 g. [ATTACH=full]1339518[/ATTACH] *See RIC I Tiberius, Introduction at p. 87: “As a type, the ‘Pontif. Maxim.’ design was far from informative. Modern scholars are not agreed upon its interpretation, some regarding the seated female figure as Livia in the guise of Pax, some as Pax-Justitia, some simply as the priestess Livia, revered as the wife of the first imperial [I]pontifex maximus[/I] and the stepmother of the second. Its significance in the ancient world can hardly have been much more immediate than it is to the modern, and it was probably viewed as a type suggesting (in association with the legend) nothing more definite than sanctity.” I've purchased from this dealer before, and it didn't occur to me to question this coin's authenticity until I realized that the version of this As with Tiberius facing right is listed in RIC I as "R3" (see Tiberius 33, p. 96), meaning only "up to about 10 specimens" probably known (see id. p. xxii), with the left-facing version (Tiberius 34) merely listed as "scarce." I could find only five examples of Tiberius 33 on acsearch. (See [URL]https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?term=Tiberius++As+Pontif+Maxim++33++AE&category=1&lot=&thesaurus=1&images=1&en=1&de=1&fr=1&it=1&es=1&ot=1¤cy=usd&order=1[/URL].) Comparing the example I bought to this example on acsearch sold by Bertolami in 2020 (28 mm., 11.16 g.), the details on mine look quite a bit softer and less sharp than on the Bertolami example (especially on the reverse), making me worry that mine might be a cast fake: [ATTACH=full]1339526[/ATTACH] I have little doubt that the dealer will issue a refund if the coin he sold me turns out to be a fake, especially under the rules of the Ancient and Medieval Coins Sales group on Facebook where I made the purchase. However, I don't want to raise the issue without first soliciting opinions more expert than mine. Nobody questioned the coin when it was posted in the group, despite the presence in the group of some very well-known dealers and other experts (not that I can assume that any of them looked closely at this particular coin). I would be happy to learn that my suspicions are unfounded! What do people think?[/QUOTE]
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