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| Traiano e il Circo Massimo | |
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Mar 14, 2010 11:00 pm
Giulio,From the style of the types and lettering, the appearance of the surfaces, and the patination as visible in the photo, I have the strong impression that this sestertius is authentic and unaltered. There are some signs of haste in the engraving of the reverse type. The top of the back wall of the circus should not be visible between the columns of the little temple left of the obelisk, as you point out. There should also be a bust of Sol atop the pediment of that temple; apparently omitted by the engraver, since I don't think the bust could have been present on the die but have disappeared though a striking fault or later damage to this specimen, which in general seems to be well struck and little worn. The obelisk is a little thinner than normal. On the other hand, all other details of the architecture seem exactly correct, and there is a detail to the right of the spina that I have never seen before, and that I do not think could have been invented by a forger: a human figure holding up a wreath, apparently to crown the winning quadriga in the chariot race that is indicated by racing chariots on some other dies. PINCIPI instead of PRINCIPI in the reverse legend will simply be an engraver's error, apparently unpublished so far, since apart from the sources you and Robert K. have already consulted it is not recorded in Strack's book on Trajan, nor have I recorded it in a note in my copy of BMC. It will be interesting to see if this error is recorded in B. Woytek's monograph on Trajan's coinage which is currently being printed in Vienna. Omitted letters are rare on early imperial coins, but they do occur: note for example GABA for GALBA on an As of Galba (BMC 149) and DOMITAN for DOMITIAN on asses of Domitian (new RIC, p. 299, notes 49 and 50). In sum the coin looks genuine to me, and I see no reason at all to doubt the owner's assertion that he found it himself many years ago in a garden on the slopes of Mt. Etna, the soil for which had been imported from some other site in the region, and that the local numismatist he showed it to assured him that it was authentic. If the owner wants to sell the coin or consign it for the next Gemini auction, please inform him that Harlan J. Berk is interested! Yours, Curtis Clay |
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