Because of the style I am almost certain it is. However I would like to confirm it if someone can do it. Found it in a lot with some other denarii that came in, so if this is an imitation I may hold onto this one: stainless
You may be right but my first inclination is that it is official but has suffered much damage making it look odd. If it is unofficial it is not far removed from proper style so it would not serve as a good example of an unofficial coin. If it is official, the condition is low and the type is common so I'd be inclined to sell this one and buy something that fit better one answer or the other. For comparison, I'll post my coin of the general type (but not legend) that certainly is unofficial. Of course not all unofficial coins of this type will match my style since there could have been a hundred guys making funny money and finding exact matches is not always easily done. My favorite part of my coin is the expansion of PART MAX to PARTICVS MAX.
Ok, thanks Doug. I figured you'd be the one to chime in here since you collect Severius Septimius coinage. stainless