Last year at a coin show I bought a Provincial of Julia Domna but got home and decided I was too much of a condition snob to keep it for my collection. It went in my 'trade' box. This week I looked at it again and saw things I had missed before. I really wish I could have a nicer coin (it is not common - there are two on acsearch) but it is what it is. There are several points I find of interest but it takes a bit of close inspection to see them. Julia Domna AE26 Smyrna, Ionia / Tyche in tetrastyle temple The reverse of this coin comes with two legends. There is a more common one that names a magistrate but this one reads Γ ΝΕΩΚΟΡΟΝ honoring the third Neocorate temple of the city. This legend occupies the space from 7 o'clock to 1 o'clock. In exergue is the start of the city name CMYP but this is no abbreviation. The rest of the word climbs up the right edge with letters reversed in in true boustrophedon fashion completing the genitive plural "of the Smyrians. My poor coin has the letters but reading them is another matter. All this is more clear if you have seen the better one sold by Naumann: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=5064528 Their listing reads: SNG von Aulock 2219 var. (rev. legend); SNG Copenhagen 1385 var. (same); McClean 8311 var. (same). All these are for the other coin that has this same temple. My coin came with a very old round tag spelling out the full legends for the wrong coin. The owner was better at copying from a book (BMC 368) than looking at the coin. There are several of the others online but this one from CNG has the best information including that there is a die study Kloss on the coins with 40 reverse dies. I wonder how many dies there are for my coin. https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=235769 Now I'll be looking for another of my coin with better legends and one of the magistrate type for comparison. That is the way it is. A coin I was not sure I wanted made me want more and more. Now I feel really shallow not recognizing all the education this coin had to offer.
Very interesting chain-of-discovery account, Doug. I suspect your "trade" box is better than my actual collection... I often pick up things on eBay not really knowing what they are just so I can see if I can figure them out. One of my favorite "surprises" was also a Julia Domna provincial. It took me a couple of days hunting to come up with an attribution, but ugly as it is, it turned out to be kind of interesting: Julia Domna / Macrinus Æ 34 (c. 194; C/M c. 218 A.D.) Roman Prov. - Cilicia, Aegeae [IOYΛIAN Δ]OMNAN [CEB], draped bust of Julia rt. / [AΔΡIANΩN AIΓEAIΩNETOYC Mς,] draped bust of Hygieia, serpent across shoulder. Ziegler Kilikien 1382; SNG Levante 1737; SNG France II, 2340; Paris 82 (18.96 grams / 34 x 31 mm) Macrinus Countermarks: Nike advancing left, holding wreath, in oval (6 x 7.5 mm) (1) obverse. left edge; (1) reverse on bust. Howgego 258. "Nike appeared as a type on coins of Macrinus and both type and countermark may be taken to refer to his Victoria Parthica" (Howgego)
Fun coin, @dougsmit ! I too enjoy obscure provincials. I particularly enjoy paleography, and find the inscription fascinating, particularly the retrograde ИΩIAИ in the city name. Every coin has something to teach.
