Some Roman imperial reverse types belong to a particular emperor. For example, You can tell who issued it just from the reverse. I added this to my educational page: http://augustuscoins.com/ed/unique/unique.html If you want to know who issued it, it is the first coin on the linked page. Click the pictures there to see the whole coin and its identification. There is no tally kept. Just enjoy seeing which of those coins you can identify from the reverse alone.
No, it is the combination of legend and type. For example, the page has a type with legend CONCORDIA EXERCITVM. He was not the only emperor to use that legend, but the design with clasped hands and legionary standard set on a prow distinguishes the emperor.
It reads ARAB ADIABENIC. It is a type of Victory over the Arabs issued by Septimius Severus. RIC 466, "AD 195-196" IMP VII. It is a really good type for those interested in particular victories.
What is your shortest unique to ruler legend? I have not researched this fully but is L Λ unique to Commodus? Is there a unique one letter legend?
Current thinking is that RIC is incorrect in citing any issues between IMP II and IMP VIII and that these are all mis-readings of IMP VIII legend breaks such as V-III, IMP VI-II and IMP VII-I. Septimius Severus was commemorating his victories over the Arabs and the Adiabenici but before his victory over the Parthians. We can then see later issues where he is PAR[THICVS] AR[ABICVS] AD[IABENICVS] before being declared PART[HICVS] MAX[IMVS] by the senate. Both my examples show how the mis-reading can occur. My second example has the additional oddity that the engraver seems to have forgotten to engrave the palm on this particular die. Regards, Martin.
As long as we realize we are only talking about Laodicea, I believe this is correct. Rome has them all and IMP II is the hardest to get. The errors here came from coins like mine below which clearly reads IMP VI. However the coin below is equally clearly IMP VI II and uses the same obverse die. Can you see the very faint II under the bust on the first coin? With great imagination.....maybe?
