Septimius Severus Nicopolis ad Istrum 193-211 A.D. 3.23g Obverse: AV KAI CEΠ CEVHPOC, laureate head right; Reverse: NIKOΠOΛI-TΩN ΠPOC IC, Priapus standing and pointing at his enormous penis. I was always on the look for these type, luckily I grabbed one at an ebay auction just last month and only received it today (delaying my end of year favourite list). Priapus was a fertility god in ancient Roman. He was often depicted as a satyr-like figure with an oversized, permanently erect penis, symbolizing fertility and abundance. He was associated with gardens, vineyards, and livestock, and his presence was believed to bring prosperity and fertility to these areas. There's also another type with a shorter member with him holding a fruit basket, but Priapus on my coin is unashamed in showing his full glory. Based on my rough estimates, considering Priapus is approximately 15 mm on this coin, and his genitalia alone measures 5 mm, in terms of proportions, an average male would hypothetically have a 25-inch penis! Please share your revealing coins!
Aaah, must be where we get the medical term, priapism. From what I hear, it can a terribly painful condition!
Nice one! I've had a couple of these in the past, but unfortunately sold them both, and have never managed to replace them. Both of mine were similar types to yours, but there are Priapus coins of other rulers and mints. I consider the Nicopolis ones to be the most artistically interesting and comical (as intended, though there were others less bawdy meanings associated with him, incl. fertility of crops). Most of the Provincial Severan coinage isn't yet available in RPC online (forthcoming in RPC V), but you can see many types from other rulers here in these search results. Indeed it is
A few days ago I already shared mine in this thread: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/athena-bow-from-the-pick-bin.409658/
4.04g Head of Mutinus Titinus (Priapus) right, hair in a winged diadem Pegasus springing from a platform inscribed "Q TITI" Titia 1
