Saturday, November 01, 2003
Æ27, cf. Cohen 1481 (Gallienus)
An interesting recent acquisition. Issued for Salonina, wife of Gallienus, who reigned 253-268 CE. From the city of Tyre, in Phoenicia. Reverse shows Apollo? standing facing, head left, draped waist-down, raising arm left. N_Γ across fields, murex shell in lower right field.
This coin doesn't seem to be published anywhere. The field marks are not characteristic for Tyre in this reign, but on Moneta-L Curtis Clay pointed out that BMC Phoenicia notes that the Pellerin collection contains one coin of Gallienus with a similar (or identical) reverse and that Pellerin suggested the field marks are to indicate year 53 since Tyre was granted Colony status. That Gallienus coin is published in Cohen, as noted in the title of this post.
If only this one said N_Β or N_Δ the field-marks-as-date interpretation might gain some traction; as it is, it'll remain an interesting speculation.
