Featured Sestertius of Caracalla Struck When the Rome Mint Began Striking Sestertii in Quantity Again

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Blake Davis, Jun 21, 2019.

  1. Al Kowsky

    Al Kowsky Well-Known Member

    Terence, Your sestertii of Julia Domna & Caracalla are magnificent :jawdrop:! If there is a "Caracalla Master" he must have cut the dies for these two coins.
     
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  3. Marsyas Mike

    Marsyas Mike Well-Known Member

    I've really enjoyed this post - some marvelous posts here.

    I have two modest ones to share:

    A Geta as with the Britannia reverse, very pitted, unfortunately:

    Geta - As Brittanica rev Aug 2018 (1a).JPG

    Geta Æ As
    (210-212 A.D.)
    Rome Mint

    P SEPTIMIVS GETA PIVS AVG BRIT, laureate head right, slight drapery on left shoulder / [VICTO]RIAE BRITTANICAE Victory seated left on shields, holding shield & palm, SC in ex.
    RIC 191b; Akerman Brit p. 68; Sear 7285 var. (bust type).
    (8.09 grams / 24 mm)

    A Caracalla as with Serapis:

    Caracalla - As Serapis Feb 19a (0).jpg

    Caracalla Æ As
    (213 A.D.)
    Rome Mint

    [ANTONIN]VS PIVS AVG BRIT, laureate head right / PM TRP XVI COS IIII [P P]
    S C Serapis standing front, head to left, raising right hand, holding scepter in left hand.
    RIC 505; BMC 257;
    (9.33 grams / 22 mm)
     
  4. Blake Davis

    Blake Davis Well-Known Member

    I did a quick search on Google and found this on the "Caracalla Master"

    https://www.rome101.com/Portraiture/Caracalla/

    This implies that the term also is applicable to someone doing statuary of Caracalla. I have never heard of celators also doing sculpting but perhaps the same artist could do both.

    That aside there is a distinctive style in very late sestertii of Caracalla that I have always associated with a master celator. These coins ARE distinctive, are beautiful, and do not appear to have continued to Macrinus or Elagabalus, although I have not made a thorough study or any study at all - I will try to find some examples later. I think the ones I would consider are only TRP XIX and XX - perhaps XVIII, but not before then
     
  5. Al Kowsky

    Al Kowsky Well-Known Member

    Blake, Thanks for the link ;). That's a wonderful collection of portrait photos. When ever I see portraits like these I'm reminded of Harold Mattingly's famous quote "The mature portrait of Caracalla is rendered with a brutal realism the shocks the eye."
     
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  6. Blake Davis

    Blake Davis Well-Known Member

    Beautiful patina - I love the shade of green!
     
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  7. Blake Davis

    Blake Davis Well-Known Member

    I think that Septimius was angry with the Senate over their support of Clodius Albinus - not that the Senate had any say over the coinage - but perhaps it was symbolic. But it led to all of the great provincial coinage in the period. Or perhaps he needed the Rome mint to focus on silver and gold - again to the delight of collectors thousands of years later!
     
  8. ancient coin hunter

    ancient coin hunter 3rd Century Usurper

    Yes, there are a plethora of provincials but one doesn't see sestertii of Caracalla very often, and not frequently for Sept. Severus as well. Maybe it's because of the oft-quoted line of Severus: "Enrich the soldiers, ignore all others."
     
  9. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    True -- there were lots of provincial bronzes issued during this time. I also suspect, based upon the wear on these issues, that earlier imperial aes coinage was still in circulation:

    Crispina SALVS Sestertius long legend.jpg
    Crispina, AD 177-182.
    Roman orichalcum sestertius, 19.95 g, 28.1 mm.
    Rome, AD 178-180.
    Obv: CRISPINA AVG IMP COMMODI AVG, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
    Rev: SALVS SC, Salus seated left, feeding out of a patera a snake coiled around altar, left arm on side of chair.
    Refs: RIC 672b; BMCRE 423; RCV 6009; Cohen 32; MIR 18.
     
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  10. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    I have a Caracala Quinarius to toss in. These are kinda tough to capture.

    upload_2020-4-11_20-27-1.png
    RI Caracalla 198-217 AR Quinarius CE 213 1.3g 13.6mm Laureate - Victory Wreath Palm RIC IV 101 RSC 450 R
     
  11. Blake Davis

    Blake Davis Well-Known Member

    Beautiful coins - I have never seen a Septimius Severus as of that type
     
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  12. Blake Davis

    Blake Davis Well-Known Member

    A bit late responding here - I have never searched but have yet to come across a Caracalla sestertius like this - I do know that Caracalla “ Divvus” coins are ridiculously rare - I have seen this only a few. As for die cutters I can only find two distinct type for the late coins of Caracalla - the so called Master and one other. Is it possible that so many coins could be struck if the mint had only two die cutters? I sort of recall a listing of the number of employees or slaves at the mint but I do not recall where or for what time period.

    There is a painting from Pompeii that shows coin making by sprites or some other magical creature - I ran across it once and was never able to find it again. Sometimes you find things like that - for example the description of the types of coinage in Pliny’s Natural History that should be referenced in coin books but never are. I wonder if collectors are aware of these.
     
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  13. hotwheelsearl

    hotwheelsearl Well-Known Member

    This one?
    4E4BF29A-E5C2-4A0F-8C2D-4CD5E5C5BFFB.jpeg
     
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