Philip commemorates the 1000th anniversary of Rome

These coins are popular and attractive. I was the successful bidder on this one in yesterday's Savoca Blue Auction. I look forward to adding it to to my collection.

It was one of a large number of coins issued for the Ludi Novae Saeculares ("Games of the New Age" or the "Millennial Games") of AD 248, which marked the 1,000th anniversary of Rome's foundation. I think it's also interesting because of the use of the officina mark on the reverse, one of the first issues to do so. I happen to like the reverse design itself, apart from its historical significance.

Let's see your Millennial Games issues of Philip, coins you won at yesterday's Savoca auction, or anything you feel is relevant.


Philip I, AD 244-249.
Roman AR Antoninianus, 23mm, 3.93 g, 7h.
Rome mint, 5th officina, 8th emission, AD 248.
Obv: IMP PHILIPPVS AVG, radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right.
Rev: VIRTVS AVGG, Philip I and II on horseback galloping right; Є below.
Refs: RIC IV 10; RSC 241a; RCV 8976; Hunter 43.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

That is the best of the Greek numeral officina series IMO.
A - soldier

B - Tranquillitas

B (retrograde) - Tranquillitas


E - horsemen


S - Nobilitas

 

I don't have any Millennial coins of Philip I , but here are a few of my favorite coins of Philip I from the Antioch Mint .

This was my 1st coin of Philip I purchased over 30 years ago.

 

Philip's coinage is fun to collect. I wonder if the Secular Games were enough to actually distract the people of Rome from how bad the financial/military situation really was?

I've sold all of the handful of antoninianii commemorating the event, but held on to two bronzes:

AE Sestertius, SAECVLARES AVGG, she-wolf suckling Romulus and Remus

AE As, SAECVLARES AVGG, Cippus inscribed COS III - Middle bronzes of Philip mostly seem to be this type, and also tend to be fairly well made compared to the lop-sided sestertii, so I think it is a reasonable guess that they were made to be distributed as prizes to the common folk at the games themselves.

 

I think these are interesting as well. Here is mine:

Philip I. AD 244-249. AR Antoninianus (23mm, 4.67 g, 12h). Commemorating the 1000th anniversary of Rome. Antioch mint. Struck AD 248-249. Radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / SAECVLVM NOVVM, hexastyle temple; in center, statue of Roma left, holding scepter. RIC IV 86b; Bland Study 48; RSC 199. Near EF.

 

IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG - Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Philipp I right, seen from behind
SAECVLARES AVGG, S C in exerque - Antelope walking left
Sestertius, Rome, 6th officina, 9th emission of Philipp I AD 248
28,5 mm / 17,85 gr / 6 h
RIC 161a; Cohen 190; Banti 50; Hunter 108

MARCIA OTACIL SEVERA AVG - Draped bust of Otacilia Severa right, seen three quarters from front, wearing Stephane
SAECVLARES AVGG, S C in exergue - Hippopotamus walking right, head raised
Sestertius, Rome, 4th officina, 9th emission of Philip I, AD 248
30 mm / 18,37 g / 6 h
RIC (Philip I) 200a; Cohen 65, Banti 13, Hunter 26

 

Here are my Philip I, Philip II, and Otacilia Severa millennial antoniniani, together with a photo of all of them together in a tray. (I'm also including my Philip I elephant coin, even though there's a question as to whether it's part of the same series, given that it doesn't bear the SAECVLARES AVGG reverse legend, has no officina number, and was supposedly issued one year earlier than the rest.)



Philip I - elephant (RIC IV-3 58)





Philip I - lion, Officina 1 (RIC IV-3 12)



Philip I - she-wolf with twins, Officina 2 (RIC IV-3 15)



Philip I - stag, Officina 5 (RIC IV-3 19)



Philip I - antelope, Officina 6 (RIC IV-3 21)



Otacilia Severa - hippopotamus, Officina 4 (RIC IV-3 116(b))





Philip II - moose (Northern European elk), Officina 3 (RIC IV-3 224)

 

Plus here's my one sestertius that's part of the series, a Philip I with stag coin (RIC IV-3 160(a)).

 

Donna, That's an amazing zoo you put together ! It looks like a project you've been working on for a while . I'm guessing the boy on the elephant is Philip II ? Your hippo looks like a nasty creature baring his teeth . I always laugh when I see a hippo on the back of Otacilia's coinage . I can't imagine any woman today feeling flattered with such an association .

 

J.G., Those are two good looking sestertii . The hippo on you coin looks friendlier than Donna's example .

 

Here are my Philip and Philip II coins. This was one of many examples of where the father signed his son's death warrant by making him and emperor or caesar.

Philip I



Antoninianus of Philip I, Obverse: IMP PHILIPPUS AUG, “Emperor Phillip augustus.”) Reverse: VIRTVS AVGG, (“Virtuous augustuses”) Phillip and his son riding horses side by side. Sear 8976

Philip II



Antoninianus of Philip II, Obverse: IMP M IVL PHILIPPUS AUG, “Emperor Marcus Julius Philippus augustus” Reverse: P M TR P VI COS P P, “Pontifex Maximus (Roman high priest), Tribunicia Potestate (tribune of the Roman people VI consul (date 246 AD) father of his country.”) Sear 9271

 

Thanks, @Al Kowsky. It did take me a while to collect all of them! I agree that my hippo looks very unfriendly with all those teeth showing. More like a crocodile as they're portrayed on Roman Provincial coinage. I have never seen anyone suggest that the elephant's rider is Philip II; he's usually described simply as the elephant driver or mahout.

 

..i gotta post my Otacilia Severa pachyderm on this special ocassion...for RC & stevex6..

 

Congrats Al!!! your taste seems like the stuff I love!

 

Hi All,

The 1000th Anniversary of the founding of Rome was also the occasion for a resumption in minting Alexandrian drachm coins. The AE drachm had fallen out of production in the 3rd century AD. However, as Burnett noted in "The rise and fall of the Roman "Sestertius" at Alexandria" (Revue Suisse de Numismatique, Vol 88, 2009), there were only 3* significant occasions in the fifty years after the accession of Severus Alexander in AD 222 where bronze drachms were made. (* Read the footnotes in the paper for some exceptions). From the paper:





Of course AD 247/8 - 248/9 corresponds the 1000th Anniversary year as counted by the Egyptian regnal reckoning system. That falls into Philip's years 5 & 6 in Alexandria.

So, here are three 1000th Anniversary coins from the provinces:










- Broucheion