Hi guys Just got this coin back at Christmas, it's of antonius pius and it's from laodicea ad mare in Syria. I bought it from a seller known as ancient coin house( don't know if I can name the seller on the forum so sorry if it's against the rules) on amazon who I haven't bought anything fake from and he is trusted. Anyways the coin has a different thickness on both sides. I'm a beginner coin collector but I still have never seen this. Does this happen in ancient coin and why? Thanks
All if not most ancient coins were made by hand. Most likely, the flans were poured in a mold and if that mold was not constructed properly, then the flan could be lopsided after pouring the metal. Also, after the flan was heated or even cold struck, a hammer hitting the die on top of the coin could also flatten the flan or make it uneven. There may be other reasons to speculate.
From the images I see nothing of which to be concerned. I have a soft spot for coins depicting Tyche, and, in fact, I have what I think is the same coin or one similar: ANTONIUS PIUS AE 25 OBVERSE: AVTO KAI TI AIL ADRI ANTWNINOC CEEBV, laureate head right REVERSE: IOVLIEWN TWN KAI LAODIKEWN, turreted and draped bust of Tyche right; QE-HP P in fields Struck at Laodikeia ad Mare, 140-141 AD 9.28g, 25mm SNG Copenhagen 350 var, BMC 57
That is normal for ancient coins. There are some that are in that shape when they made it and some are worn over time. Nothing to be concerned about unless the weight is way off.
What would the weight normally be for this type of coin? I thought bronze coins were varied in weights.
They can vary, but the mints attempted uniformity as much as technically possible. If you have a scale, I think you coin should weigh similar to mine above at 9.28g. I say that not knowing the size of your coin first. Measure your coin diameter in millimeters if you can.
I have a recent acquisition from the same city as your coin with a similarly uneven flan. It's an Elagabalus, so struck perhaps 60-70 years later. I haven't seen enough coins from this region to call this typical, but I'd guess it could be the result in any number of factors that went into the production of the moulds, preparation of the flans, or the striking of the coins.
I have many coins with uneven flans. As others have said, this is just a consequence of the manufacturing techniques. As for the weight of yours, it is not concerning. Here's another such example from Tyre, Phoenicia; Elagabalus with Dido.
also, normal since it appears to be a ground recovery [metal detecting find] so the damage from being buried would be normal.
Uneven strikes occur quite regularly. I have the following coin that illustrates a Roman Republican (L. Papius) denarius with an uneven and off-centre strike. Martin
