Splling Errror Slonina

[Harry G]

Hi all!

I just thought I'd share a new coin of mine that came in a few days ago from Demos. It's in ok awful condition, and the type is pretty interesting.

At first glance, it appears to be a regular CONCORDIA AVGG type from Antioch, however the engraver decided to salute CONCORIDIA instead.

Interestingly, this is my second antoninianus of Salonina with a spelling error - this is my Rome mint antoninianus, celebrating the famous goddess VENS.

 

Please show me some splling erroors!

[Spaniard]

This was my very 'first' ancient coin.

I had no idea what I was buying but it looked cool...

Licinius I AE Follis 20mm/3.43gr (Emperors name Misspelled)
Obverse-IMP LICINVS PF AVG- laureate, cuirassed bust right
Reverse-REV SOLI INVICTO COMITI- Sol standing right, looking left, chlamys across chest and over his left arm, holding globe and raising right hand. C-S across fields
Exergue-PARL- minted 313-318AD Arles.

[Roman Collector]

Fun idea for a thread, @Harry G! My favorite spelling error is also on a coin of Salonina! Look carefully at the reverse legend ...

Salonina, AD 253-268.
Roman billon antoninianus, 4.64 g, 23.3 mm.
Antioch, AD 264.
Obv: SALONINA AVG, diademed draped bust right on crescent.
Rev: VINO REGINA, Juno standing left, holding patera and scepter; peacock at feet left; star in left field.
Refs: RIC 92 var.; Cohen 67 var.; RCV 10641 var.; Göbl 1619f var.

It says VINO REGINA -- "Wine the queen"!!

[zumbly]

The die engraver who did the LIBERATAS legend on the coin below possibly couldn't tell the difference between freedom (LIBERTAS) and free stuff (LIBERALITAS).

GORDIAN III
AR Antoninianus. 4.02g, 22mm.
Rome mint, early AD 239 - early 240. RIC IV 67 var. (rev legend misspelled LIBERATAS instead of LIBERALITAS, error not recorded in RIC, but cf. Gemini Auction IV (8 Jan 2008) lot 460 for another example from same rev die).
O: IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG, radiate, draped, cuirassed bust right.
R: LIBERATAS (sic!) AVG III, Liberalitas standing front, head left, holding counter in right hand and cornucopiae in left hand.

[Severus Alexander]

Here's my Maximinus "SALVS AVGVSIT" As:

I'm aware of a few examples of dupondii using this misspelled reverse die (and RIC mentions it), but mine is the only As I know of.  I guess it's maybe a double error - wrong spelling, wrong die too!  (Dupondius: RIC 65; As: RIC 66)

[Qcumbor]

Magnus Maximus, Siliqua - Treveri mint, 2nd officina
D N MAG MAX IMVS P F AVG, draped, cuirassed and diademed bust right
VIRTVS ROMASORVM (sic !!) Roma seated facing, holding globe and spear.
TRPS at exergue
1.91 gr
Ref : Cohen # 20 var, Roman coins # 4201

 

Arcadius, AE 2 - Alexandria mint, 3rd officina
D N ARCADIVS P F AVG, Diademed bust of Arcadius right
VIRTS EXERCITI (sic !), Arcadius, standing right, a captive at right foot, holding globe and standard. ALE gamma at exergue
6.28 gr
Ref : RIC # 18, RC #4230, LRBC #2896 var

 

Q

[Ancient Coin Hunter]

Pretty big mistakes. So wouldn't the celator stop cutting the die once they realized that the spelling was off?

Or maybe they were illiterate and were following some incorrect written source jotted down on papyrus...

 

[Lhevae]

Two things could explain (some) spelling mistakes.

Firstly, the fact that some engravers, especially in the east, were speaking and writing greek and not latin. Imagine being asked to copy japanese kanjis : you could probably get a decent result with a bit of training, but you would easily make mistakes you wouldn't notice, especially when you're doing in on "line work".

Secondly, some engraving mistakes (or variations, should I call them) can be the result of local pronunciations.

But for the mistakes these two things can't explain, the engraver could have been distracted, illiterate, having a bad day, drunk.. We'll never know!

Here's an antoninianius of Tetricus - I'm not sure if the reverse engraver had an idea of what he was doing with the legend...

Obv. : IMP C TETRICVS P F AVG / Rev. : VIAORIA AV⅁ (sic)

3.39g ; 20/21mm

Mairat 754 (var.) ; Normanby 1466 (var.)

[GordianAppreciator101]

27 minutes ago, Lhevae said:

Two things could explain (some) spelling mistakes.

Firstly, the fact that some engravers, especially in the east, were speaking and writing greek and not latin. Imagine being asked to copy japanese kanjis : you could probably get a decent result with a bit of training, but you would easily make mistakes you wouldn't notice, especially when you're doing in on "line work".

Secondly, some engraving mistakes (or variations, should I call them) can be the result of local pronunciations.

But for the mistakes these two things can't explain, the engraver could have been distracted, illiterate, having a bad day, drunk.. We'll never know!

Here's an antoninianius of Tetricus - I'm not sure if the reverse engraver had an idea of what he was doing with the legend...

Obv. : IMP C TETRICVS P F AVG / Rev. : VIAORIA AV⅁ (sic)

3.39g ; 20/21mm

Mairat 754 (var.) ; Normanby 1466 (var.)

Could this be a barbarous Ant minted with stolen dies? Or something of the likes? Perhaps the dies were damaged and whoever got them tried to make of them what they could.

[Lhevae]

9 minutes ago, GordianAppreciator101 said:

Could this be a barbarous Ant minted with stolen dies? Or something of the likes? Perhaps the dies were damaged and whoever got them tried to make of them what they could.

This is an interesting suggestion. At some point I thought it to be an imitation but the weight, size, engraving style and (obverse) lettering are absolutely spot on, while blunders like that are almost non-existen on the unofficial coinage of the Tetrici. I've seen stolen dies being used for unofficial coinage but so far I haven't seen any "modified" one. I'm not sure if they would have bothered to work on the die, but that's a possibility. I'd have to find a coin struck with the same (not modified) die to be sure of that. So far, I'm not 100% certain of the explanation behind this blundered coin.

[Ancient Coin Hunter]

I forgot about the "Greek" part. The folks in the East, and even the die engravers in Rome (Greek slaves/artisans) spoke koine Greek and wrote in Greek if they were literate. Latin and the Roman alphabet probably were not second nature to them. 

[maridvnvm]

I like errored coins. I have a few. Here is a small sample.

Trebonianus Gallus - Antoninianus

Obv:– IMP C C VIB TREB GALLVS P F AVG, Radiate, draped cuirassed bust right
Rev– ADVNTVS (sic) AVS(sic), Trebonianus Gallus riding on horse left, holding hand high in salute and scepter
Minted in Antioch.
Reference(s) – RIC 79 var (reverse legend).

Rare with these reverse legend errors. Possibly the fourth known example all from the same reverse die.

Ex Private British collection, was purchased from English dealer Peter Mimms in 1976

Probus

Obv:– IMP C PROBVS • P • F • AVG, Radiate, cuirassed bust right
Rev:– COMITI PORBI(sic) AVG, Minerva standing left, holding olive-branch and spear and resting left hand on shield
Mint – Lugdunum (I in exe) Emission 7 Officina 1. A.D. 280
Reference:– Cohen -. Bastien 315 (example c). RIC 69 Bust type F var (PORBI in error not listed in RIC)

One of the examples cited by Bastien of 315 - the standard PROBI coin, 315c - Voetter, is also PORBI from the same reverse die. No examples cited in Bastien Suppl. II.

3.76 gms

Constantius Gallus - AE2

Obv:- D N CONSTANTIVS IVN NBO(sic) C, Bare headed draped & cuirassed bust right; A
Rev:– FEL TEMP REPARATIO, Emperor standing left on galley, holding Victory on globe and labarum; Victory behind, steering galley
Minted in Siscia (III | * // BSIS)
Reference:– RIC VIII Siscia 329 var (would be C but obverse legend error)

5.16 gms. 23.42 mm. 180 degrees