Leu Numismatik AG
Web Auction 5 23 Sep 2018
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Volusian, 251-253. As (Orichalcum, 24 mm, 8.02 g, 7 h), Rome. IMP CAE C VIB VOLVSIANO AVG Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Volusian to right, seen from behind. Rev. CONCORDIA AVG / S - C Juno seated front in round tetrastyle temple. Cohen 42 (with IVNONI MARTIALI). RIC 252b (with IVNONI MARTIALI). A highly unusual and interesting overstrike. Very minor flan crack, otherwise, about very fine.
From the G.G. Collection of Roman Imperial third century middle bronzes and from the property of Princeton Economics acquired by Martin Armstrong, ex Classical Numismatic Group E-Auction 275, 7 March 2012, 143 and ex Numismatica Ars Classica I, 19 May 1999, 2283 (misdescribed as a new type in both cases).
We have been made aware by C. Clay that this is not a an unpublished reverse type, but, rather, a so-called 'Kraay overstrike' (first published by C. Clay in his review of Woytek's treatise of the coinage of Trajan, in: NC 172, 2012, pp. 361-2): the mint workers were using two different reverse dies alternately and rapidly at the same anvil, and when they failed, in this case, to remove the finished coin quickly enough from the obverse die, a CONCORDIA AVGG reverse of Volusian was overstruck by a IVNONI MARTIALI reverse. Such overstrikes do occur from time to time, but this is a particularly extreme case, as the two strikes not only occured in perfect alignment, but the second also failed to overlap the CONCORDIA legend, which now appears in combination with the Temple of Juno from the second reverse die (traces of the overstriking can also been seen on the roof of the temple).
From the G.G. Collection of Roman Imperial third century middle bronzes and from the property of Princeton Economics acquired by Martin Armstrong, ex Classical Numismatic Group E-Auction 275, 7 March 2012, 143 and ex Numismatica Ars Classica I, 19 May 1999, 2283 (misdescribed as a new type in both cases).
We have been made aware by C. Clay that this is not a an unpublished reverse type, but, rather, a so-called 'Kraay overstrike' (first published by C. Clay in his review of Woytek's treatise of the coinage of Trajan, in: NC 172, 2012, pp. 361-2): the mint workers were using two different reverse dies alternately and rapidly at the same anvil, and when they failed, in this case, to remove the finished coin quickly enough from the obverse die, a CONCORDIA AVGG reverse of Volusian was overstruck by a IVNONI MARTIALI reverse. Such overstrikes do occur from time to time, but this is a particularly extreme case, as the two strikes not only occured in perfect alignment, but the second also failed to overlap the CONCORDIA legend, which now appears in combination with the Temple of Juno from the second reverse die (traces of the overstriking can also been seen on the roof of the temple).