That coin is beautiful @larssten! Here's my latest Macrinus Lydia, Gordus Julia. Macrinus Æ29. Cult statue of Kore. Obv: AVT K M OΠЄ CЄO MAKPЄINOC / Laureate and cuirassed bust right. Rev: ЄΠ AIΛ ZΩCIMOV APX A TO B IOVΛIA / ΓOPΔHNΩN / Facing statue of Kore between poppy and grain ears. Magistrate Ail. Zosimou, first archon for the second time. Cf. BMC 41 (for a different type of Macrinus from this magistrate).
Thank you very much @curtislclay for taking the time to both answer my questions about the practicalities regarding the specific Künker catalog item as well as about the article and the background of the dating! I have never heard about a similar situation were COS II precedes COS. Of course this raises even some further questions for me: - Does Macrinus' refusal to call himself "consul for the second time" tell us something about Macrinus' personality? - Or was it just wise of him under the current circumstances, after the overtaking of the throne assassinating Caracalla, to act modestly? Perhaps not sticking his own head out too much? - Regarding the COS II minted coins in January 218; Are the significantly more rare than ones struck with only COS ? Apologize for any questions with obvious answers; I am still a novice with Roman coins, but its fascinating to learn more intricacies like these
Here is one that I used to own that Curtis commented on elsewhere back in 2004.... Macrinus Denarius Obv:– IMP C M OPEL SEV MACRINVS AVG, Laureate, cuirassed bust right Rev:– PONTIF MAX TR P P P, Jupiter, nude, standing front, head left, holding thunderbolt and sceptre Minted in Rome, September 217 A.D. References:– RIC 2, RSC 70 Comments by Curtis Clay:- Titles PONTIF MAX TR P P P (no COS) are rare on denarii. No specimens of this coin in Reka Devnia hoard, for example. Combined with medium beard length of portrait increases interest. Macrinus was letting his beard grow and the same coin can also be found with either short or long beard! This is second issue, date c. Sept. 217
Interesting debate about Macrinus's coin datation, and some awesome examples. My Macrinus have already been posted a few times, anyway, here they are again, for the new comers Macrinus, Denarius - Rome mint AD 217 IMP C M OPEL SEV MACRINVS AVG, Laureate bust of Macrinus right IOVI CONSERVATORI, Jupiter standing holding thunderbolt and sceptre, protecting a small figure of Macrinus 2.76 gr Ref : Cohen #37, RCV #7337 Macrinus, Tetradrachm - Antioch, ca AD 217-218 AYG K M OP SE MAKRINOS SEB, Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Macrinus right DHMARX EXYPATO, Eagle facing, holding wreath in beak, standing on thigh. D E in upper field 12.76 gr Ref : Sear #2948, Prieur # 246_055 Macrinus, Bronze - Nicopolis mint AVT KM .... H MAKRINOC, Laureate and cuirassed bust of Macrinus right V M AGRIPPA NIKOPOLITWNPROC IC TR, Tyche standing left, holding cornucopia and rudder 14.26 gr Ref : ANMG #1710 Q
Another RIC IV 53, this with the cuirassed bust. Purchased for the facial expression. To me it says "Guess who just won the lottery for the Roman Empire?". This same pretty head would eventually be sent to Elagabalus as a trophy. Photo courtesy Heritage.
My interest in Imperial Macrinus never grew past having a short beard and a long beard. However, for some reason I grew fond of his Provincials of which I have the below and several others but all have short beards. I guess some of the Eastern mints never heard that he was growing out. the few I recall seeing were from Phoenicia. Does anyone have a long bearded Macrinus Provincial?
It seems like the second coin you posted is almost the same as mine. Mine is a RIC 84 and think yours a RIC 85 with the only difference a little longer beard..?
Larssten, Both SALVS PVBLICA denarii are of Issue 2, yours from near the beginning of the issue, maybe August 217, because of the short beard; Doug's from near the end of the issue, maybe March-April 218, because of the long beard and the broken obv. legend which was typical of Issue 3. Macrinus was a Moor and the first non-senator to ascend the throne. He must have known that his assumption of the title COS II would offend many senators, very few of whom were themselves COS II, and also that turning down that title might win him praise for modesty, an effect which it indeed had in the case of the surviving senatorial historian Dio Cassius. Denarii dated TR P II COS II are indeed rather rare. That need not mean a very short period of issue, because denarii with the same types but descriptive legends, like your and Doug's SALVS PVBLICA, were probably also being struck at the same time. Asses dated TR P II COS II are by far the commonest asses of Macrinus' reign, very probably because they were a New Year's issue produced in Dec. 217 and distributed in quantity as New Year's gifts on 1 Jan. 218. Issue 2 denarii dated TR P II COS, after the cancellation of COS II, are also rather rare. However two of the five main types of Issue 3 bore the dated legend P M TR P II COS P P, with types of Annona standing and Emperor seated, and are common on denarii. Doug, Long-bearded portraits of Macrinus at Nicopolis and Marcianopolis are indeed unusual, but do occur; Cucumbor illustrates one above. Another well-known long-bearded provincial is the large bronze coin of Caesarea showing vis-a-vis portraits of Macrinus and Diadumenian, illustrated for example in Sear's Greek Imperial Coins.
Dear Curtis, could you date this As for me? Does Macrinus feature a "medium" beard here like on my ex-Waldeck Sestertius listed in your die study (see in my avatar and our correspondence in the German forum)? Greetings, JG
Late to the Macrinus party! Here is my humble Macrinus, which includes an interesting find location of Nijmegen (the Netherlands) - one of the cities with large historical importance in the Netherlands: ROMAN IMPERIAL, Macrinus. Denomination: AR Denarius, minted: Rome, Italy; 217-218 AD Obv: IMP CM OPEL SEV MACRINVS AVG, bust of Macrinus, laureate, cropped beard, cuirassed to the right. Rev: SALVS PVBLICA, Salus, draped, seated left on throne with high back, feeding out of patera in right hand snake coiled round altar and holding sceptre in left hand Weight: 3.45g; Ø:18mm. Catalogue: RIC IV 86. Provenance: Found near Nijmegen (Netherlands), ex private collection. Numis nr: 1150656; acq.: 09-2019
The Curtis dating is from his article in the 1979 Numismatic Zeitschrift, "The Roman Coinage of Macrinus and Diadumenian ". Barry Murphy
I have that paper but Curtis only lists the dies used for Sestertii and Aurei, but no Asses. My Sestertius is Clay obverse die No. 2, reverse die No. 42 (this coin referenced):
The original post, to which I was replying, had to do with the dating of a denarius and whether or not the reference "dated by Curtis" meant he saw the coin in hand. Anything about asses, sestertii or anything else I was not referring to, as I didn't read any of the other posts in this thread. Barry Murphy
My only other MACRINUS and is with Son Diadumenian RI Didumenian and Macrinus 217-218 CE AE28 Markianopolis mint Serapis
Julius Germanicus, In my article I estimated that the long beard might have been introduced on Macrinus' coinage c. 1 Sept. 217. So the scarce dies with medium beard were probably all engraved in c. August 2017. However some of these dies were not immediately withdrawn, but remained in use even after the introduction of the long beard. One middle-bearded As obv. die, for example, is attested coupled with the titles TR P II COS II of early 218. Your obv. die is known to me coupled only with two undated ANNONA AVG rev. dies, as on your coin. So we can't tell whether this obv. die was used only in c. August 217 and was then withdrawn, or might have continued in use a couple of months longer, like the other middle-bearded As die that was still being used early in 218.
Thank you so much for your expertise, Curtis! There seem to have been relatively few As-dies for Macrinus in total. The Kusthistorisches Museum in Vienna was so nice to put their three Annona-Asses online for me, which no less than doubles the number of specimens of that type published: https://www.khm.at/objektdb/?query=macrinus Don´t theirs all look to be from the same obverse die as my coin?
My most recent Macrinus was a provincial Macrinus - AE27 Obv:- AYT K M OPELLI CEV MAKRINOC AYG, laureate head right Rev:- VP KTA LONGINOV NIKOPOLITWN PROC IC, Aequitas/Dikaiosyne standing right, holding scales and cornucopiae; wheel before (note mixed attribute with Nemesis) Minted in Nicopolis ad Istrum. Magistrate Statius Longinus References:- AMNG I/1, 1772, not in Varbanov (engl.), Hristova/Hoeft/Jekov (2018) No. 8.23.35.17 I was looking through my trays and I have a Macrinus in my plaster casts.... Obv:- IMP CAES M OPEL SEV MACRINVS AVG, Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right Rev:- PROVIDENTIA DEORVM, Providentia standing left. holding baton over globe and cornucopia References (for original coin) :- Cohen 110 (30f.) RIC 195 b Framed uniface plaster cast from 19th century. Originally mounted on velvet and one would assume in a display case. Traces of velvet still attached to underside of frame.