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When is a variant not just a variant? Faustina II CERES seated denarii
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<p>[QUOTE="dougsmit, post: 3038564, member: 19463"]My personal definition of a variation worth noting is one that we have some possible reason to suspect carried some meaning other than some die cutter felt like doing something different that day. Of course we don't always know the meaning of some difference so it is not always certain whether there was one or not. For example, there is the matter of letter spacing. I have no particular fondness for dies that break legends differently unless someone can show there was something meaningful. Below are denarii of Clodius Albinus with the same obverse legends but each is broken at a different spot. Meaningful? Not to me yet. Maybe later if someone shows that the mint had shifts and changed the split at shift change.</p><p>DCLODSEPT ALBINCAES</p><p>[ATTACH=full]758076[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>DCLODSEP TALBINCAES</p><p>[ATTACH=full]758077[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>DCLODSEPTAL BINCAES</p><p>[ATTACH=full]758078[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Here is another with DCLODSEPT ALBINCAES just like the first but I see a significant difference since the one below is the ordinary Rome mint style while the first three are from Alexandria. The 'discovery' that Alexandria struck denarii for Albinus is relatively recent (since RIC) but I do see that as a meaningful distinction.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]758080[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Another category that pushes a coin over the boring/interesting variety line is demonstrated by the two Emesa Septimius denarii below.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]758081[/ATTACH] The reverse legend above reads SPQR OPTIMO PRINCIPI. Below is SPQR OPTIMO P<b>B</b>INCIPI which I could write off as a spelling problem caused by a Greek speaker who did not know much about the Latin R. However the B spelling variety is ten times as common as the one with a proper R. That makes it worth having both (that and the fact that I am an obsessive collector of Eastern Septimius denarii).[ATTACH=full]758082[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Below is another B coin but here Septimius is holding a staff. Is this significant to anyone other than hardcore specialists? Probably not.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]758083[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Things like this multiplied by a million major types makes a big difference in your view on just how many ancient coins there are and how many you want to collect.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="dougsmit, post: 3038564, member: 19463"]My personal definition of a variation worth noting is one that we have some possible reason to suspect carried some meaning other than some die cutter felt like doing something different that day. Of course we don't always know the meaning of some difference so it is not always certain whether there was one or not. For example, there is the matter of letter spacing. I have no particular fondness for dies that break legends differently unless someone can show there was something meaningful. Below are denarii of Clodius Albinus with the same obverse legends but each is broken at a different spot. Meaningful? Not to me yet. Maybe later if someone shows that the mint had shifts and changed the split at shift change. DCLODSEPT ALBINCAES [ATTACH=full]758076[/ATTACH] DCLODSEP TALBINCAES [ATTACH=full]758077[/ATTACH] DCLODSEPTAL BINCAES [ATTACH=full]758078[/ATTACH] Here is another with DCLODSEPT ALBINCAES just like the first but I see a significant difference since the one below is the ordinary Rome mint style while the first three are from Alexandria. The 'discovery' that Alexandria struck denarii for Albinus is relatively recent (since RIC) but I do see that as a meaningful distinction. [ATTACH=full]758080[/ATTACH] Another category that pushes a coin over the boring/interesting variety line is demonstrated by the two Emesa Septimius denarii below. [ATTACH=full]758081[/ATTACH] The reverse legend above reads SPQR OPTIMO PRINCIPI. Below is SPQR OPTIMO P[B]B[/B]INCIPI which I could write off as a spelling problem caused by a Greek speaker who did not know much about the Latin R. However the B spelling variety is ten times as common as the one with a proper R. That makes it worth having both (that and the fact that I am an obsessive collector of Eastern Septimius denarii).[ATTACH=full]758082[/ATTACH] Below is another B coin but here Septimius is holding a staff. Is this significant to anyone other than hardcore specialists? Probably not. [ATTACH=full]758083[/ATTACH] Things like this multiplied by a million major types makes a big difference in your view on just how many ancient coins there are and how many you want to collect.[/QUOTE]
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When is a variant not just a variant? Faustina II CERES seated denarii
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