RIC V Online 1072* (bust type variant)

Roman Empire, Claudius II (268-270), Antoninianus, Antioch mint, 4th emission, ? officina.

Obverse: IMP C CLAVDIVS AVG, radiate head right, with drapery to front and rear;

Reverse: CONC-OR AVG, Proserpina standing right, holding long-handled torch in right hand, facing Ceres standing left, holding corn-ears in right hand and long-handled torch in left hand;

Notes: This coin belongs to the very rare final emission of Claudius II, which consists of eight reverse types all showing a couple of deities together, leading some to speculate that they're meant to represent Zenobia and Vaballathus, and that this issue was struck in the name of Claudius by the Palmyrenes after they had seized Syria in early 270, though the complete absence of officina marks for this issue makes it hard to estabilish a coherent timeline with previous and following issues. Surprisingly, for this emission, the left-facing busts are far more common than the right-facing ones - in particular, this bust was known for four of the eight reverse types, and this new example brings the total up to five.

Reference : RIC V - (c.f. RIC V 200 - unlisted bust type); RIC V Online - (c.f. RIC V Online 1072 - unlisted bust type);

Collection : Claudius II - Antioch