Roman Error?

[hairytoe]

Hello,

 

I have recently found a roman coin and wondered if anyone could give me some advice on it please?

 

As I look at the front of the coin everything looks fine, when i turn the coin over, the reverse is upside down.

 

I have a couple of other roman coins, some with the same design but they are all the same way up. is this common?

 

Thanks

 

Karl

[dougsmit]

Nothing to be worried about. Roman coins come about equally upright, invert and perhaps as much as 20% other orientations depending on whether you consider almost upright the same as upright. I have nearly identical coins from the same mint with different axis alignments. Some periods were careful and are always the same way but another time and place would be equally careful the opposite way or just random.

 

When you branch out to other ancients, you will find the same is true. Some places were even regularly 3 o'clock or 9 o'clock while Romans made this way are usually oddballs.