Trajan Arabia and Camel Denarius -- OPTIMO PRINCI??

In the course of photographing this one, I noticed something I hadn't before -- the reverse inscription is not COS V P P S P Q R OPTIMO PRINC, but ... PRINCI. This reverse variety is not described in BMCRE2, RIC, or Cohen. I can't find another example at acsearchinfo. Does anyone have Woytek? Is is listed in there? Does anyone know of another example of this reverse legend variety?

Post your Trajans, your personifications of the Roman provinces, or other coins you feel are relevant!


Trajan, AD 98-117.
Roman AR denarius, 3.35 g, 18.3 mm, 7 h.
Rome, AD 103-111.
Obv: IMP TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P, laureate bust, right, with drapery on left shoulder.
Rev: COS V P P S P Q R OPTIMO PRINCI, Arabia, draped, standing left, holding branch in right hand over camel walking left before her and a bundle of canes (?) in left hand.
Refs: RIC 142 var.; BMCRE 297-299 var.; Cohen 89 var.; Sear --; ERIC II 400 var.
Notes: The usual reverse inscription reads ... PRINC.

 

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Interesting variety, sorry I can't shed any light on it. After checking my mottled toning example, I'm sorry to report it is the common "PRINC" version:



Last month I picked up the drachm version of this issue - for Bostra or Cappadocia, depending on who you consult:

 

Trajan Denarius Woytek 285c RIC 142var Bust with aegis on far shoulder

 

...i still have the "now famous" Rabbel ll overtstrike ..one of my favs...(& soon to belong to JAZ)

 

That's an interesting variety – good that you noticed! My own camel denarius only has PRINC:


Trajan, Roman Empire, denarius, 103–111 AD, Rome mint. Obv: [IMP TRAI]ANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P; bust of Trajan, laureate, r. Rev: CO[S V P P S P Q ]R OPTIMO PRINC, Arabia standing l., holding branch in r. hand and a bundle of cinnamon sticks in l., camel at feet to l. 17mm, 3.07g. Ref: RIC II Trajan 142 (denarius).

 

My favorite Trajan
IMP TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS VII PP
SPQR OPTIMO PRINCIPI / ARAB ADQ

 

I'd prefer to see more from the die before declaring the extra I a letter rather than a dot or damage. My ArabAdq is 'messy' in that region and has what you might read as an extra I among other possibilities. Yes it is a coin to be studied but I'd stop short of declaring it a catalogable variety pending seeing confirming coins.

 

This one says Principi