IMP XXXXII COS XVII P P (type III / II, B) (441 / 450)
Bust of Theodosius II facing, cuirassed, wearing a helmet with crest and a pearl diadem. Holding a spear passing behind his head with the right hand and a decorated shield with a horseman slaying an enemy, with the left hand.
XXXXII COS – XVII P P Constantinople seated left on a throne, holding a spear with the left hand and a globe surmounted by a cross with the right hand. A shield behind the throne and a star in the field to the left.
Marks
Photo of a coin sold on 25/09/2021 by Fritz Rudolf Künker, Auction 351, lot 563, link to the sale: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=8544027, link to their website: https://www.kuenker.de/. The auction house cites the provenance of this coin: ''Exemplar der Sammlung Roma Aeterna, Auktion Aureo & Calicó 300, Barcelona 2017, Nr. 228 und der Sammlung Imagines Imperatorum, Auktion Aureo & Calicó 241, Barcelona 2012, Nr. 398..''.
Variant without a dot on the obverse and a dot on the reverse located after the first P of IMP. COMOB mark. Reverse of type III (legend with dots) and design of type II, shield of type B (almost large enough to be type A).
The RIC X does not reference any coin with only one dot. It is possible that coins with only one dot actually have two or more... the same reasoning applies to coins with two or three.. dots, which could have more. These details are too small and shallow, prone to wear or poor minting quality. Coins with almost invisible dots are regularly observed. Coins in excellent condition leave little doubt as to the number of dots inscribed, but we must still remain open to the possibilities I just outlined.
This coin shares the same obverse die as the AYC #34, RIC 285, coin sold one 17 March /2023 by Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co. KG, Auction 383, lot 2159, link to the sale: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=10670765, link to their website: https://www.kuenker.de/. Already sold on 11 October 2004 by Gorny & Mosch Giessener Münzhandlung, Auction 133, lot 555, link to the sale: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=193938, and resold on 05 March 2007 by this same auction house, Auction 155, lot 373, link to the sale: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=360605. Obverse die which is also found on this example sold on 06 August 2022 by N&N London, Online Auction 6, lot 480, link to the sale: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=9778234. These two coins have a reverse without a dot, bearing the officina letter B. Our example AYC #38, RIC - is for officina , One might consider a continuous strike: B without a dot on the obverse or reverse, followed by with one dot on the reverse.. However, the coin classified here with the 5th mint shows a narrower die break at the level of the letter I on the obverse. We observe that this die was used for strikes with officina letter, in two different officinas, and that the series with a dot on the reverse may have been produced before or at the same time as the series without a dot but with a officina letter. Marking error on the reverse? Blocked die not allowing the dot to appear? Detail too small to be visible after striking? We regularly see dots (on the entire coinage from 1 to 7 dots) that are almost invisible and tiny. We cannot conclude at this stage that the strike with a dot on the reverse was not struck after the one without a dot. We would need to find another example linking an obverse die of a coin without a dot on its reverse to a coin with one or more dots to begin to consider that there was no order in striking, and even then we could still consider the possibility of an oversight in marking. Another possibility is that the coins with dots were intended as tribute to the Huns or to circulate within a specific region, while the coins without dots on the reverse circulated elsewhere. In this case, the mix of obverse dies is understandable. Lending further weight to this hypothesis is AYC 39, RIC -, which shares this same obverse die, this time with two dots on the reverse and no officina letter. see comments here: https://www.all-your-coins.com/en/archives-anciennes/romaines-imperiales/imp-xxxxii-cos-xvii-p-p-type-iii-ii-b-441450-1225.
Type III: with the mark CONOB or COMOB (CONOB here). Legend punctuation on the reverse. This corresponds to type II of RIC X. Variant A and B are the same as RIC X: A = large, B = smaller, rounder shield. This type blends characteristics of types I and II in terms of design and the position of the legend relative to the shield: Constantinople large or small, helmet flat or not, drapery tight or not natural, legend ending before or at the level of the shield. The likely reuse of old reverse dies (there are already links between obverse dies and coins without reverse dots) consequently mixes the first two types. This mixing of the two types may also demonstrate the high probability that this series with dots on reverse is the last. For each Type III coin, I add the reverse design type after ''/'', thus giving either: ''III / I'' or ''III / II'', designating a Type III reverse with a Type I or II design followed by shield type A or B.