★ By far the finest known coin of Pertinax from Tomis, one just three Provincial mints to issue in his name ★

MOESIA INFERIOR. Tomis. Pertinax, 193. Tetrassarion (Bronze, 28 mm, 12.68 g, 8 h). ΑΥΤ•K•Π•ЄΛΒ•Π-ЄΡΤΙΝΑΖ Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Pertinax to right, seen from behind. Rev. ΜΗΤΡΟΠ•ΠΟΝΤΟΥ•ΤΟΜЄΩC Bearded man, raising his right hand, seated backwards on a cart pulled by an ox to left, which is led by a woman hurrying forward and holding a hammer (?) in her right hand; in field above, Δ (mark of value). AMNG I 2732. Varbanov 4791. Very rare. Very well struck, with a lovely dark green patina and in exceptional condition for the issue, by far the finest known example. Light deposits and with very minor weakness, otherwise, extremely fine.Given Pertinax’s brief three-month reign and his precarious political situation, it is hardly surprising that only three provincial mints issued coins in his name: Tomis in Moesia, Prusa ad Olympum in Bithynia, and Alexandria in Egypt. Particularly striking is the case of Tomis - a remote city near the mouth of the Danube, which had already served as a place of exile for Ovid.

This specimen stands out not only for its exceptional state of preservation - being the finest known example and undoubtedly among the most impressive provincial coins of Pertinax - but also for its highly unusual reverse, whose meaning remains unresolved. Yet thanks to its extraordinary condition, a previously unnoticed detail can now be discerned: the female figure standing behind the ox appears to hold a hammer (?) in her right hand. She may be using it to yoke the animal to the cart. The enigmatic reverse may allude to a local legend - one that was once well known to the inhabitants of Tomis but will likely remain forever lost to us.