Featured Interesting and Rare Pontifex As of Geta

I recently purchased this wonderful As of Geta, RIC 129(b), Aesculapius standing between two snakes, in distyle temple. The coin is large - almost 27mm, I’ll post the weight shortly. The coin was struck in that mysterious period when the Rome mint was striking very few bronzes - this was more than made up for by the beautiful bronzes that were struck throughout the empire, especially in the East. It may be that the bronzes from the Rome mint during the period of low mintage were struck as presentation pieces - the beauty of this coin certainly points to it being struck for a special occasion. Note the unusual left facing bust and the obverse inscription which fully spells out “Caesar” instead of the more common “caes.”

I apologize for the poor photo - I will try to put up better ones and include the weight but I wanted to share this as soon as possible. I am aware of only one other example of this type, including identical bust type and left facing portrait - from the same dies, sold by Gorny and Mosch in October of 2009.

The bust type is more typical of medallions from the same period. The relief on the bust is extremely high - I have seen similar relief on an As of Julia Donna some years ago. Perhaps one of the Celators at the Rome mint thought that high relief was appropriate for lesser bronzes? The coin is large, although clearly an As.

I assume that sestertii were struck of this type but none have survived perhaps because of low mintage - RIC only has this type as an As or Dupondius. I have been searching for affordable imperial bronzes from the period that few bronzes were struck for years - managed to find a very few, of which this is a wonderful example.

As to why this type was struck: Based on the bust type this coin would have been struck 206 - 208AD. It would be typical for offerings to be made to Aesculapis during a time of plague and perhaps this coin was struck for that reason - I need to check Dio, Herodian or the Augustan Histories and find out whether there was a plague in Rome at this time. A temple was built at Rome in 293AD dedicated to Aesculapius during a time of plague, but that was of course at least 90 years after this coin was struck. I will do more research and supplement this post.

That is all I have on this coin - if anyone knows of other examples or this type in a dupondius please let me know.

 

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I will hopefully be posting more information on the coin shortly as well as better photographs.

 

Report the site to the Mods, they will be glad to help

 

Congrats !
Rare and very interesting coin.

I’ve seen a denarius with the same reverse.
I think it was on sale on eBay.

 

Found it. Coin is not mine. Is unpublished and also very rare.

 

Here's the British Museum's example. They say it's a "dupondius or as":

 

Very nice coin and somewhat unique with the high relief. I'm not sure why a dupondius would be struck without the radiate crown, so I would also assume it is an as.

 

Thanks for finding another example! It is copper so I assume it is an As. I still wonder why it was struck with such an odd reverse.

 

Figured it out - thanks!

 

Very rare! I’ve never seen this type before -

 

Congrats, that is an very nice coin! It have very good details for an Severan bronze coin.

 

I have not seen such high relief in any other bronze except for the Julia Domna referenced in the article (Hilaritas reverse) but even that was not as high as on this Geta. Is that of significance? Probably not - I have come across high relief sestertii of Severus Alexander that were still poor executed - perhaps the celator was having a conversation with someone and screwed up the portrait and had to dig deeper to fix it. The point is that high relief doesn’t automatically mean superb artistry although it certainly can be an important part of why a coin is beautifully done - my opinion anyway, but I know little about art other than what appeals to me.

 

Interesting - this is clearly from the same die. If I had never seen the Julia Domna with similar high relief I would say that this is definitely a coin that was not issued for general circulation. Now I am not so certain. On the other hand, I have only been able to find only four other examples, all from the same die - not exactly proof of a coin in circulation! Blake

 

My coin is an as with broad flan. 27mm 8.26g. I assumed it was used in the ceremony when Geta became Consul. I have posted it here on CT several times. When I bought it in 1990, the seller said it was in Revue Numismatique, 1912 (unseen by me) and an obverse die link to BMC 827.

 

I was again wondering why Septimius Severus ceased the production of base metal coins at the Rome mint. The answer could be anger at the Senate for its support of Clodius Albinus. Can think of some other reasons but no time to put it all down now.

 

I know nothing but tend toward the theory that most asses were special issues for commemorating things like consulships rather than ordinary circulation. Inflation probably left few things that sold for an as but these may have carried a value premium like we saw later in British Maundy coins. I am not sure how we are to prove anything one way or another.

 

Doug's comment is very interesting. My collection is pretty small, but I have an as of Elagabalus and Severus Alexander, both of which are weirdly well-executed and heavy (heavy as compared to the sestertii of this era).

Which is to say Doug's "special issue" theory does seem plausible. The Elagabalus has the "ADVENTVS" reverse, which may refer to his arrival in Rome from the East, for sure a time for distributing "special" coins. Not that I have any proof:



Elagabalus Æ As
(c. 219-220 A.D.)
Rome Mint
IMP CAES M AVR ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, laureate draped bust right / ADVENTVS AVGVSTI, SC below, emperor on horseback left, holding baton.
RIC 341; Cohen 7; BMC 365.
(11.75 grams / 25 mm)

Here's the Severus Alexander as - I have sestertii almost this heavy - this was issued late in his reign, I believe:



Severus Alexander Æ As
(231-235 A.D.)
ALEXANDER PIVS AVG, laureate head right, slight drapery on left shoulder /
PROVIDENTIA AVG, Providentia standing left by modius, holding corn-ears and
cornucopiae. S-C across fields.
RIC 644b; Cohen 504.
(13.98 grams / 26 mm)

 

I think the obverse in your coin is from the same die as mine. I'm. It sure what that is indicative of other than that they were struck at about the same time, and that these are quite rare.