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HJB Home > Ancient Coins Home > The Buy or Bid Sale > Ancient Roman: ROMAN PROVINCIAL > Inv. # cc82697

Tranquillina; Caesarea, Cappadocia, Year 4=241 AD, Drachm, 3.19g. Sydenham/Malloy-617aa, citing Leu 18, 1977, lot 373 (same dies). Obv: CABINIA TRANKVΛΛINA AV Bust draped r., wearing stephane, the hair falling onto neck arranged in two horizontal ridges. Rx: MHTPO KAICA B NE around, ET Δ in exergue, Mt. Argaeus, without pellet in field. Rare silver drachm of Tranquillina at Caesarea, unknown until 1978 when Sydenham/Malloy-617aa reported two specimens, in Leu 18, 5 May 1977, lot 373 and the Burbules Collection. Recently several dozen further specimens of this rare drachm have appeared on the market, mostly of Year 4 like the two Sydenham/Malloy pieces, but also several of Year 5. The Year 4 pieces all seem to come from only three obverse dies, one without stephane and with a nest of braids on the neck, and two with stephane and without the nest of braids. The Year 4 reverse dies vary in the abbreviation of the legend, KAIC B N or KAICA B NE, and in the placement of a pellet in the field left of Mt. Argeus on some dies. The three Year 5 drachms come from a fourth obverse die, and from two reverse dies, both with a pellet in upper right rather than upper left field.. EF