Ebay: Unique Sestertius of Septimius Severus

I think there's no place enough to write L SEPT SEV PERT AVG IMP XI PART MAX. The earlier Antonine reigns let us know that decennalia can be announced many years before (VOTA SVSCEPTA, TR P XX, Aurelius dupondius RIC 944; then 5 years before the decennalia), but these were nether named, they were announced. Here is an incoherence.

Pellinore, you said you were wary of the lettering, I totally share your arguments, and the parallel you underlined with a common Laodicea's denarius finds an echo in Blake's interesting observation about the central point that seems to be peculiar to Laodicea. But since Rome a few decades before used this point, it's impossible to conclude that this characteristic could exclude Rome as a potential mint.

Doug, I share your point of view about Rome unofficial style. But another mint, why not ?

 

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If I could jump in, I was not suggesting that the inscription would be the same as the "IMP XI" coin only that the bust types were similar. I also do not see how it could be anything but the Rome mint.

 

Blake, I nether thought you suggested that the inscription would be the same as the "IMP XI".
I'm more certainly slow to translate and the time you give 3 answers, I hadn't finished my first !
I just wanted to stand that if IMP XI PART MAX was doubtful if not unlikely, the other possibilities from IMP II to IMP X were potentially real. And even though the style could hardly remind Rome, the first years are according to me further than the last ones.
I'm happy to read what you write !

 

This has been an interesting discussion. Some things I have observed:

Considering the obverse: What we can only clearly see is "SEPT SEV PERT". I think it can be agreed upon that anything else is just supposition or even perhaps wishful thinking. Any other letters cannot be deduced. Yes, I know it is usual to compare this example to known inscriptions and attempt to deduce what the rest of the lettering might have been but that is impossible (and should be for obvious reasons, since we do not know what the intent was of the celator).

The Portrait: I still hold to the idea that this portrait is not typical of the Rome style. If I were to hazard a guess I would say that it was provincial in style.

The reverse: As obvious it is not a known type for Severus but common for some period before him (and in a 'recent' period, well within the realm of perhaps an old celator knowing of or even carving such a die for a prior emperor).

The date: COS III for Severus began about 198 but continued on types dated in many references to roughly ten years after that. If falls within the realm of possibility that this inscription could happen.

Similar types: Severus issued VOTIS DECCENALBIVS in wreath types which are attributed to 'eastern' mints in gold and silver, but not in base metal, though Pertinax did issue a Dupondius of this exact type with COS II as the date.

So, how to proceed from here? I would imagine that one could spend a lot of time attempting to find die links to known coins, both obverse and reverse (reverse of prior emperors).

It is certainly possible it is a real and previously unknown coin. But it is equally possible that it is a very clever forgery. It is well known that fakes can be made by pressing new dies onto genuine coins thus duplicating weight, patina, fabric, etc. But in those instances they are made in quantity. I mentioned before that it might be quite telling if another example ever comes to market or not.

As a collector and dealer, if I were the potential buyer: I would be interested and purchase the coin but only at a low price (or perhaps whatever price one considers to be acceptable when at risk of buying a fake). I would watch the market closely to see if any other examples ever come up.

I do think it is entirely within the realm of possibility that this coin is entirely genuine, but from just a poor photo one can never tell. And with such coins one will always encounter various experts who condemn or verify authenticity.

 

I am not an expert on Severan bronze but have studied quite a few images of them handled a few. The obverse style doen't look close to anything I have seen before. I saw it an passed on it. I don't know of ancient or modern but it doesn't strike me as official.