Friday, October 18, 2013


Roman Republican AR Denarius
Anonymous [Crescent] Cr 137/1
Ca. 194-190 B.C.
 Mint - Rome
 

The first description is from the auction company, Triskeles, with a few changes. My thoughts are below.

Anonymous [Crescent]. Ca. 194-190 B.C. AR denarius (20 mm, 3.60 g, 10 h). Rome. Helmeted head of Roma right; behind, X / the Dioscuri riding right; above, crescent; below ROMA in in linear frame. Crawford 137/1; Grueber 575; Sydenham 314; RSC 20i. Lightly toned. Pleasing very fine.

A duplicate from the RBW Collection of Roman Republican Coins. Purchased privately from Richard Schaeffer in 1992.

Country Roman
Type or era Republican
Coin type Denarius
Mint   Rome
Issued by Cresent 
Issued by Anonymous Cresent
Title of issuer moneyer
Mint Date -194  -194 to -190
Weight 3.59
Weight - max 4.04 4.73
Weight - min 3.21 3.68
Weight - avg 3.71 4.00
Weight - st dev 0.21 0.27
Number 18 19
Diameter - max 19.8 18
Diameter - min 19.23
Diameter - max  20.7 20.3
Diameter - min 17.0 18.0
Diameter - avg 19.3 19.3
Diameter - st dev 1.147 0.890
Metal Ar
Serrated N
Crawford # 137.1 57.2
BMCRR 575 431
Sear: # 39 Sear does not list Cr 137.1 39
RSC: # 20i 20i
CRR 314  219, 265
CRI
NMWar 149
NMCr 32 33
Orientation 10
Orientation
Purchased from http://pics.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/s.gif,http://pics.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/s.gif,http://pics.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/s.gif,http://pics.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/s.gif
Triskeles
Purchase date 10.3.13
Price  $157.20
Currency  $
Excahange rate
Grade VF
Grade VF
Centering Obv is 5% off center, but flan is large enough that all features are on coin, including border. Rev is 9% off center and the end of theDioscuri capes are off flan as is part of lineborder,about 60% of line border is on flan.
Strike well struck, dies on obv & rev show some wear and flow lines, faces on Dioscuri are not complete, reins and lances are well formed
Flan flaws none
Style Roma visor is peaked which is later than 211, A is version with cross from center of right line to center of base. This series is one of the last to use a V shape for the cross.
Patination light toning with traces of earlier and darker toning near features.
Damage none
Obverse Roma
Reverse Dioscuri Crescent
Obverse head of Roma R, wearing winged helmet with visor in 3 pieces and peaked, decorated with gryphon, I shaped ear ring, bead necklace, hair tied and falling in 3 locks, behind mark of value = X
Reverse Dioscuri on horseback charging R, each holds spear and wears chlamys, cuirass and pileus; surmounted by stars, above crescent, below in linear frame ROMA. This issue has the three archaic forms of A.
Obverse dies 30 60
Reverse dies 37 75
No VCoins
No CNG
No WW
Coin Arch
V Cat
The anonymous Roma / Dioscuri with crescent silver denarii were probably issued by more than one moneyer. Crawford assigns two numbers: #57.2 is dated 207BC, has a die estimate of 60/75, a wt std of 4.4 g, an avg of 4.03  for 25 coins and was assigned to Rome;  #137.1 is dated 194 - 190 BC, has a die estimate of 30/37, a wt std of 3.9 g, an avg of 3.81  for 16 coins and was assigned to Rome. Grueber assigns two number series: #431 - 435 are in period II, have a wt range of 3.56 - 4.34 and was assigned to Rome;  #575 - 578 are in period III , have a wt range of 3.3 - 3.8 g, and was assigned to Rome. Sydenham assigned three #s: 219, 265 & 314. The British Museum on line gives examples of the two series of crescent denarii. I have difficulty telling one from the other. The ear ring on Roma in the older type seems to have more than one piece, and the Dioscuri's horses seem to be rearing more. The only "definite" difference is the average weight of the earlier series is heavier. The weight ranges overlap significantly.

The first two coins are attributed as Cr 57/2 and the second two are 137/1 by the British Museum on line. You can compare more of these issues at the BM web site
http://www.britishmuseum.org
 
 



1 comment:

  1. Hi Gene,
    To me, the most distinctive diagnostic of C137/1 that differentiates from C57/2 is the frame around the legend ROMA. The frame and the legend always extend only about 3/4 across the exergue. The frame of C57/2 is always larger and nearly fully across. This is also a common characteristic of its fully anonymous sibling C139/1.

    http://stevebrinkman.ancients.info/anonymous/index.html#139-1

    Other than this, stylistically the 137 head of Roma is much more petite and narrow than on C57/2. Both varieties have peaked visors. Yours is a very nice representative example and is, I believe, rather scarce in nice condition as opposed to the extremely common C57/2.

    Steve Brinkman

    ReplyDelete