Neat ancient roman error

stainless

Okay, so this didn't take long to become one of my favorite coins. I got this about a month ago.








Philip I
AR antoninianus
Rome, 247-248 AD
blank obverse
AEQVITAS AVGG
Aequitas standing facing left, holding cornucopia and scales


I, and another well experienced ancient coin collector believe this a reverse brockage, which are scarcer than obverse brockages. To make it more unusual, it is a late state brockage, meaning there must have been a few more of these coins struck as a brockage before this one, which is why there is no detail on the obverse! The other specimens where probable caught and discarded (that, or they are still under dirt somewhere), but they missed this one. I think it is a good theory for what happened, and more practical. The only other theory would be that the maleator accidentally smacked it without a die..twice, since the reverse is double struck.



stainless

1960NYGiants

I would think that brockages would be nonexestant since those coins were struck one at a time. Seems to me that the minter would physically account for every piece he hammered.

Aethelred

As cool as any ancient error I have seen!

stainless

<< <i>I would think that brockages would be nonexestant since those coins were struck one at a time. Seems to me that the minter would physically account for every piece he hammered. >>



One has to remember though, they had to work at a fast pace, the obverse brockages were definatly harder to detect, being that was the die on top, but the reverse brockages were easier and more visible. Which is why this piece is so unusual and interesting.


stainless

CIVITAS

Gene, ancient brockages do exist and are fairly common. Some can be spectacular.

For the sake of playing devil's advocate, I might argue in this case that two blanks were put in at the same time, so that one received the obverse design and one received the reverse design, but were left blank where each met the other. There might be a mate to this coin out there that has only the obverse and a blank reverse. Keep your eyes open for it.

stainless

<< <i>Gene, ancient brockages do exist and are fairly common. Some can be spectacular.

For the sake of playing devil's advocate, I might argue in this case that two blanks were put in at the same time, so that one received the obverse design and one received the reverse design, but were left blank where each met the other. There might be a mate to this coin out there that has only the obverse and a blank reverse. Keep your eyes open for it. >>




I asked my friend about it (who was the previous owner) and he said that your guess is more believable, and is wondering why he didn't think of that..lol.

I'll have to do some research on this coin to see what it was.

thanks
stainless

lordmarcovan

Dumb question time... how do you know it's Philip I? Didn't some of the others around that time strike silver ants with an Aequitas reverse?

coinnut86

<< <i>Dumb question time... how do you know it's Philip I? Didn't some of the others around that time strike silver ants with an Aequitas reverse? >>



You mean you can't tell!?!? It looks just like him... sheesh

CIVITAS

No way to know for sure really as it could be Philip I, Philip II or Volusian. They all issued this type from the Rome mint. Others issued it from the Antioch mint, but this does not look like Antioch style.

The only way to know for sure would be a die match to a known Philip I.

Of the three options, Philip I's coinage was the most prolific, so it seems a reasonable guess.

CIVITAS

<< <i>No way to know for sure really as it could be Philip I, Philip II or Volusian. They all issued this type from the Rome mint. Others issued it from the Antioch mint, but this does not look like Antioch style. >>



I should qualify that the three named above are the only to have issued this type from the Rome mint when the coin would have been of this fabric, style and silver content. Others may have issued the same reverse type later or earlier than this period (circa 240-253 A.D.).

lordmarcovan

Right- I figgered you could narrow it down by style and silver content and so on, but I guess it would take a pretty scarce type to narrow down one particular reign by the reverse design.