Avatars of Venus on the Sestertii of Julia Mamaea

An auction win adds to this little mini-set of Venus types on the sestertii of Julia Mamaea. Her bronzes portraying Venus depict the goddess in three guises (no coins were issued in her name depicting Venus as Caelestis). The middle bronzes of this empress are scarce to rare:

Venus Felix (Lucky Venus)
--Sestertii and middle bronzes with various combinations of left- and right-facing busts and left- and right-standing Venus holding Cupid or statuette and scepter, all bearing the reverse inscription VENERI FELICI S C (RIC 694-700).
--Sestertii and middle bronzes depicting Venus seated left, holding a statuette and scepter and bearing the reverse inscription VENVS FELIX S C (RIC 701-703).

Venus Genetrix (Venus the mother, ancestress of the Roman people)
--Sestertius depicting Venus standing left, holding apple and scepter with a child standing at her feet (RIC 704)

Venus Victrix (Venus the victorious, who brings victory to Rome)
--Sestertii and middle bronzed depicting Venus standing left, holding a helmet and scepter and with a shield at her feet (RIC 705-707).

Post whatever you feel is relevant!



Julia Mamaea, AD 222-235.
Roman orichalcum sestertius, 21.21 g, 30 mm, 12 h.
Rome, 4th emission, AD 224.
Obv: IVLIA MAMAEA AVGVSTA, diademed and draped bust right.
Rev: VENERI FELICI, Venus standing right, holding scepter and Cupid; S-C across fields.
Refs: RIC 694; BMCRE 190-194; C 62; RCV 8232; Banti 16.


Julia Mamaea, AD 222-235.
Roman orichalcum sestertius (dupondius?), 18.80 g, 27.1 mm.
Rome, AD 224, fourth emission.
Obv: IVLIA MAMAEA AVGVSTA, diademed and draped bust, right.
Rev: VENVS FELIX SC, Venus enthroned left, holding cupid and scepter.
Refs: RIC 701; BMCRE 197-201; Cohen 69; RCV 8233.


Julia Mamaea, AD 222-235.
Roman orichalcum sestertius, 26.22 g, 32.3 mm, 12 h.
Rome, AD 223, third emission.
Obv: IVLIA MAMAEA AVGVSTA, diademed and draped bust, right.
Rev: VENVS GENETRIX SC, Venus standing left, holding apple in extended right hand and vertical scepter in left hand; at feet, Cupid standing right, reaching upwards.
Refs: RIC 704; BMCRE 154-155; Cohen 74; RCV 8234.


Julia Mamaea, AD 222-235.
Roman orichalcum sestertius, 23.08 g, 30.6 mm, 12 h.
Rome, 12th emission, AD 231.
Obv: IVLIA MAMAEA AVGVSTA, diademed and draped bust, right.
Rev: VENVS VICTRIX S C, Venus standing left, holding helmet and scepter, shield at her feet.
Refs: RIC 705; BMCRE 718-722; Cohen 78; RCV 8235.

 

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Very nice Julia Mamaea / Venus collection
I only have one :

 

I especially like your Genetrix, what a charming coin! I have a small middle bronze collection of Sev Alex and family, including three Venus types, 2 Felix and 1 Victrix. All three are AE asses.

 

In the course of researching the various reverse types of sestertii of Julia Mamaea, I am not convinced that RIC 699/Cohen 66 (VENERI FELICI, Venus standing left, holding statuette and scepter) actually exists. RIC cites Cohen, but does not illustrate the coin. It is not unusual for Cohen to list coins that are incorrectly described or unofficial.

It is not to be found in the British Museum collection, on acsearchinfo, Coin Archives, The Coin Project, Coryssa, Wildwinds, or at V-coins. The supposed example in the Münzkabinett der Universität Göttingen cited at OCRE is actually an as, not a sestertius, weighing only 8.222 g.

 

Great collection of Sestertii !

Here is one of her sister with VENVS CAELESTIS:


[IVLIA] SOAEMIAS AVG - Diademed and draped bust of Julia Soaemias right, her hair waved and knotted in queue and small bun at back.
[V]ENVS CAELESTIS S C - Venus seated left, holding apple in extended right hand and resting on sceptre held in left, child standing right at her feet.
Sestertius, Rome AD 220
30,20 mm / 17,78 gr
RIC 406; BMCRE 378; Cohen 18; Thirion (Le Monnayage d'Elagabale) 391; Banti (I Grandi Bronzi Imperiali) p. 57, 5 — citing 30 specimens; Sear (Roman Coins & Their Values II) 7725.
"VF with excellent portrait, edge hammered in antiquity resulting in flattening behind and before the empress’s effigy" (David Sear)[/QUOTE][/QUOTE]

 

Nice