Can anyone tell the difference between a stag and an antelope on Gallienus coin

[thenickelguy]

I bought this as a stag walking left but looking at all the Gallienus coins on Wildwinds with something walking left this looks more like the example they show in this image.

Do you think I have that one? All the lettering seems to line up better, the antelope head is more level where the stags seem to be looking more upward. The butt of the animal looks the same. The bust of Gallienus looks almost exact.

Here's mine ~ Thank you!

[Alegandron]

I cannot tell. Ssooo... I asked his wife!

 
RI Salonina wife of Gallienus 254-268 CE AE Ant 3.61g 20mm Rome mint 267-268 CE crescent Deer Walking delta RIC V 16

[thenickelguy]

What did she say?

Yes dear, or no dear?

[Roman Collector]

Appendix 5 of Bland, Besley and Burnett's The Cunetio and Normanby Hoards, London, Spink & Sons, 2018, gives the following information:

Officina GAMMA was used to strike the DIANA CONS AVG antelope type.

 

Officina DELTA was used to strike the IVNONI CONS AVG capriolus type.

 

More follows ...

[Lhevae]

The stag has large and typical antlers, you cannote hesitate when you see one. Coins below are not mine.

 

(Picture : Leu)

(Picture : Jacquier)

Also, the tenth officina (X mintmark) produced only stags. And stags were produced only by the tenth officina. So even if the antlers are not very clear, if you see a X, it's a stag. And if you don't, well, it's something else!

Edited June 5, 2022 by Lhevae

[Roman Collector]

Officina X was used for the DIANAE CONS AVG stag type:

 

Officina XI was used for the DIANAE CONS AVG gazelle type.

 

Officina XII was used for the DIANAE CONS AVG gazelle type, also.

[dougsmit]

Sorry, my stag is late to the party. 

11 minutes ago, Lhevae said:

Also, the tenth officina (X mintmark) produced only stags. And stags were produced only by the tenth officina. So even if the antlers are not very clear, if you see a X, it's a stag. And if you don't, well, it's something else!

If you have trouble remembering this matter, recall that stag parties are X rated. 

[Orange Julius]

Here’s a few of mine.

Stag:

 

Gazelles: 

I think this one is a doe:

 

…all of which are food for my Tigress!

[DonnaML]

I have no stag, but here are my three hooved animals from the Gallienus Zoo Series.

The first is similar to the OP's coin:

Gallienus, Billon Antoninianus, 267-268 AD, Rome Mint (3^rd Officina). Obv. Radiate head right, GALLIENVS AVG / Rev. Antelope walking left, DIANAE CONS AVG; Γ [Gamma = 3^rd Officina] in exergue. RIC V-1 181 [p. 146, Obverse 8K], RSC IV 165, Sear RCV III 10200, Wolkow 7a3 [Cédric Wolkow, Catalogue des monnaies romaines - Gallien - L'émission dite "Du Bestiaire" - atelier de Rome (BNumis, édition 2019)], Göbl MIR [Moneta Imperii Romani] Band 36, No. 716.  20 mm., 3.59 g., 7 h.

 

Gallienus, Billon Antoninianus, 267-268 AD, Rome Mint (5^th Officina). Obv. Radiate head right, GALLIENVS AVG / Rev. Doe walking right, head turned back looking left, DIANAE CONS AVG; Є [Epsilon = 5^th Officina] in exergue. RIC V-1 177, RSC IV 154, Wolkow 10a5, Göbl MIR [Moneta Imperii Romani] Band 36, No. 728(b); cf. Sear RCV III 10199 (same reverse & obverse portrait; different obverse legend).  21 mm., 2.72 g., 6 h.

 

Gallienus, Billon Antoninianus, 267-268 AD, Rome Mint (11^th Officina). Obv. Radiate head right, GALLIENVS AVG /Rev. Gazelle* walking right, DIANAE CONS AVG; XI in exergue. RIC V-1181, RSC IV 157, Wolkow 14a11, Göbl MIR [Moneta Imperii Romani] Band 36, No. 747(b), Cunetio 1401, Sear RCV III 10201. 21 mm., 3.24 g., 6 h.

* See Wolkow [Cédric Wolkow, Catalogue des monnaies romaines - Gallien - L'émission dite "Du Bestiaire" - atelier de Rome (BNumis, édition 2019)] p. 64; http://www.fredericweber.com/GALLIEN/emission_du_bestiaire/page2.htm; Jim Phelps, The Coins of Gallienus ' "Zoo" Collection (http://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=Gallienus%20Zoo).

For reference purposes, a list I compiled from Wolkow and other sources of the 32 different reverse types in the Zoo Series (not couning minor variations), together with the name of the deity in the reverse legend, and the number of the Officina:

Lioness walking left [Apollo, Officina 2]
Centaur walking left holding globe [Apollo, Officinas 4, 7, & 8]
Centaur walking right with bow and arrow [Apollo, Officinas 7 & 8]
Centaur galloping right, with bow and arrow held up to sky [Apollo, Officina 7]
Gryphon walking left [Apollo, Officinas 4 & 8]
Gryphon walking right [Apollo, Officina 4]
Gryphon seated left [Apollo, Officina 4]
Antelope left [Diana, Officinas 3 & 4]
Antelope right [Diana, Officina 3]
Doe left, head turned back to right [Diana, Officina 5]
Doe right, head turned back to left [Diana, Officina 5]
Stag left [Diana, Officina 10]
Stag right [Diana, Officina 10]
Gazelle left [Diana, Officinas 11 & 12]
Gazelle right [Diana, Officinas 11 & 12]
Lion left [Hercules, Officina 1]
Boar right [Hercules, Officina 5]
Goat left [Jove, Officina 6]
Goat right [Jove, Officinas 4 & 6]
Panther left [Liber Pater, Officina 2]
Panther right, "rampant" (head facing upwards) [Liber, Officina 2]
[Tigress left] [Liber Pater, Officina 2]
Criocampus [mythical beast with head and forelimbs of ram, and body and rear of fish] swimming right [Mercury, Officina 8]
Hippocamp [head and forelimbs of horse, body and rear of fish] swimming left [Neptune, Officina 9]
Hippocamp swimming right [Neptune, Officina 9]
Capricorn [head and forelimbs of goat, body and rear of fish] swimming right [Neptune, Officina 6]
Pegasus left, rearing up on hind legs [Sol, Officina 1]
Pegasus right, rearing up on hind legs [Sol, Officina 1]
Bull standing left [Sol, Officina 11]
Bull standing right [Sol, Officina 11]
Antelope left [Salonina obverse, Juno, Officina 4]
Antelope right [Salonina obverse, Juno, Officina 4]

So it's clear that the OP's coin, with a gamma in the exergue (for Officina 3), is an antelope rather than a stag.
 

Of course, centaurs also have hooves:

Gallienus, Billon Antoninianus, 267-268 AD, Rome Mint (7th Officina). Obv. Radiate head right, GALLIENVS AVG / Rev. Centaur walking right, holding bow with right hand and drawing arrow and bowstring with left hand, left front leg lifted, APOLLINI CONS AVG; Z [Zeta = 7th Officina] in exergue. RIC V-1 163, RSC IV 72), Wolkow 2a7 (ill. p. 41), Göbl MIR [Moneta Imperii Romani] Band 36, No. 735, Sear RCV III 10177. 20 mm., 2.96 g. Purchased Jan. 2022 from Ingemar Wallin Utveckling AB, Uppsala, Sweden.



Gallienus, Billon Antoninianus, 267-268 AD, Rome Mint (8th Officina). Obv. Radiate head right, GALLIENVS AVG / Rev. Centaur walking left holding a globe in extended right hand and a reversed rudder in left hand, with right front leg lifted, APOLLINI CONS AVG; H [Eta = 8th Officina] in exergue. RIC V-1 164, RSC IV 73 (ill.), Wolkow 1a8, Göbl MIR [Moneta Imperii Romani] Band 36, No. 738, Sear RCV III 10178. 20 mm., 3.42 g., 12 h.

No hooves:

Gallienus, Billon Antoninianus, Rome Mint 267-268 AD. Obv. Radiate head right, GALLIENVS AVG /Rev. Striped tigress* (or panther) walking left, LIBERO P • CONS AVG; B in exergue. RIC V-1 230, RSC IV 586, Sear RCV III 10281. 19mm, 2.83g, 6h.






*See the article on this subject by Jim Phelps, at https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=Liber Pater. Although it's interesting that so far as I know none of the catalogs -- not RIC, not RSC, and not RCV -- has made the distinction between the panther and tigress; all just list the coin under one number as showing a panther.

Gallienus, Billon Antoninianus, 267-268 AD, Rome Mint (4th Officina). Obv. Radiate head right, GALLIENVS AVG / Rev. Gryphon walking left, APOLLINI CONS AVG; Δ [Delta = 4th Officina] in exergue. RIC V-1 166, RSC IV 76, Wolkow 4a4, Göbl MIR [Moneta Imperii Romani] Band 36, No. 718, Sear RCV III 10180. 20.5 mm., 3.29 g., 6 h.
 

Gallienus, Billon Antoninianus, Rome Mint, 9th Officina, 10th emission (Göbl), 267-268 AD. Obv. Radiate cuirassed bust right, GALLIENVS AVG / Rev. Hippocamp swimming right, NEP-TVNO CONS AVG; in exergue, N [= Nu, for 9th Officina). RIC V-1 245, RSC IV 668 (ill.), Wolkow 23i9, Bust Type B3, Ribbons Type 3 [Cédric Wolkow, Catalogue des monnaies romaines - Gallien - L'émission dite "Du Bestiaire" - atelier de Rome (BNumis, édition 2019). at p. 87], Göbl MIR [Moneta Imperii Romani] Band 36, No. 743b, Sear RCV III 10292. 19 mm., g. Purchased from Akropolis Ancient Coins, May 2021.


 

Gallienus, Billon Antoninianus, 267-268 AD, Rome Mint (1st Officina). Obv. Radiate head right, GALLIENVS AVG /Rev. Pegasus springing right, about to take flight. SOLI CONS AVG; A offset to right in exergue. RIC V-1 283 (p. 155), RSC IV 979, Sear RCV III 10362, Wolkow 26a1[Cédric Wolkow, Catalogue des monnaies romaines - Gallien - L'émission dite "Du Bestiaire" - atelier de Rome (BNumis, édition 2019)], Göbl MIR [Moneta Imperii Romani] Band 36, No. 712b. 21 mm., 3.12 g, 11 h.

Edited June 5, 2022 by DonnaML

[thenickelguy]

Thank you all so much. Turned out to be a very educational post.

DonnaML I do believe you have confirmed my suspicion that I have an antelope, the same as the first one you posted.

I am going to dig it out and turn it in hand, maybe I'll see a faint Γ there on the reverse. The animal is positioned the same. Rear leg, back and tail look almost exact.

It brought me to a new question about dies but that is for another topic.

[thenickelguy]

I think I see an X on this and perhaps the faint antlers of a stag.

I am back to thinking it is a stag?

Oh deer ...

[ambr0zie]

Late for the party, but here is my stag with X mintmark

 

[DonnaML]

5 hours ago, thenickelguy said:

I think I see an X on this and perhaps the faint antlers of a stag.

I am back to thinking it is a stag?

Oh deer ...

I'm pretty sure that's a Gamma, and it's an antelope. But: I could be wrong! 

Edited June 6, 2022 by DonnaML

[thenickelguy]

I'm goin with Donna, It's an antelope and I'm changing my description. I found out that Gamma is Γ.  I can't make out the Gamma but I did always think I saw two thin horns pointing together to 1 o'clock position.

It's a done deal. Thanks all.

[GordianAppreciator101]

Really interesting thread. Recently had a rundown with a Gazelle/Antelope...etc of Gallienus that took me a long time to identify. Wildwinds couldn't help me as most ofthen than not they simply claimed "gazelle or antelope walking left", leaving me as I was before checking.