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<p>[QUOTE="lrbguy, post: 3130587, member: 88829"]At the time of yesterday's CNG electronic auction 425, I got busy on a project for my wife and totally forgot about the sale. Only later did I discover what I had missed. Maybe the lucky buyer is one of you and can check something about a particular coin that sold (obviously not to me). I apologize for the intrusion.</p><p><br /></p><p>This coin was offered as lot 514, a coin of Julia Paula with the following description:</p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Julia Paula. </b>Augusta, AD 219-220. AR Denarius (18mm, 2.19 g, 6h). Antioch mint. Struck under Elagabalus, AD 219-220. Draped bust right / Venus Genetrix seated left on throne with high back, holding apple and scepter. RIC IV 222 note (Elagabalus); Thirion 468; BMCRE 324; RSC 21. VF, lightly toned, a few tiny green deposits.</p><p><i>Ex Classical Numismatic Group Electronic Auction 325 (23 April 2014), lot 615.</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i>[ATTACH=full]798462[/ATTACH] </i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p>The pattern of the hair on obverse raises question about Antioch, but my question concerns the reverse and is this: which way is the figure of Venus facing?</p><p><br /></p><p>For comparison here is a clear example of the same coin type from my collection:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]798468[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Note that in both coins the throne and body of Venus are oriented to face the viewer, but the head is described as turned to face the left as we see it (over the right shoulder of the figure). That is clear in the second coin, but not so clear on the coin CNG just sold. If one of you is the new owner of this coin, could you take a close look at that detail to see if the head is turned to the left (as usual) or does it in fact face the viewer? The disposition of the dangling earrings gives me some pause in dismissing this way of seeing this figure.</p><p><br /></p><p>Let me hasten to add that I know of no example of any coin from Julia Paula that does this, and I don't know that here. But no matter how exceptional that would be, I cannot dismiss it out of hand, because there is a precedent for such a posture among the coins of Julia Domna, albeit with an entirely different deity; i.e. Pudicitia.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]798475[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>The value of the comparison is that it gives us a sense of what the proportions of the face would be for a full face image. When I look at the coin CNG just sold the head seems to have more in common with a full face image than a profile.</p><p><br /></p><p>So, as unlikely as it may seem, could the new owner take a really close look and tell us which way this Venus is facing?[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="lrbguy, post: 3130587, member: 88829"]At the time of yesterday's CNG electronic auction 425, I got busy on a project for my wife and totally forgot about the sale. Only later did I discover what I had missed. Maybe the lucky buyer is one of you and can check something about a particular coin that sold (obviously not to me). I apologize for the intrusion. This coin was offered as lot 514, a coin of Julia Paula with the following description: [B] Julia Paula. [/B]Augusta, AD 219-220. AR Denarius (18mm, 2.19 g, 6h). Antioch mint. Struck under Elagabalus, AD 219-220. Draped bust right / Venus Genetrix seated left on throne with high back, holding apple and scepter. RIC IV 222 note (Elagabalus); Thirion 468; BMCRE 324; RSC 21. VF, lightly toned, a few tiny green deposits. [I]Ex Classical Numismatic Group Electronic Auction 325 (23 April 2014), lot 615. [ATTACH=full]798462[/ATTACH] [/I] The pattern of the hair on obverse raises question about Antioch, but my question concerns the reverse and is this: which way is the figure of Venus facing? For comparison here is a clear example of the same coin type from my collection: [ATTACH=full]798468[/ATTACH] Note that in both coins the throne and body of Venus are oriented to face the viewer, but the head is described as turned to face the left as we see it (over the right shoulder of the figure). That is clear in the second coin, but not so clear on the coin CNG just sold. If one of you is the new owner of this coin, could you take a close look at that detail to see if the head is turned to the left (as usual) or does it in fact face the viewer? The disposition of the dangling earrings gives me some pause in dismissing this way of seeing this figure. Let me hasten to add that I know of no example of any coin from Julia Paula that does this, and I don't know that here. But no matter how exceptional that would be, I cannot dismiss it out of hand, because there is a precedent for such a posture among the coins of Julia Domna, albeit with an entirely different deity; i.e. Pudicitia. [ATTACH=full]798475[/ATTACH] The value of the comparison is that it gives us a sense of what the proportions of the face would be for a full face image. When I look at the coin CNG just sold the head seems to have more in common with a full face image than a profile. So, as unlikely as it may seem, could the new owner take a really close look and tell us which way this Venus is facing?[/QUOTE]
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