Decided to treat myself this holiday period and ended up buying two sestertii in December which arrived today. Both are of new individuals whom I did not previously have in my collection. Severus Alexander. AD 222-235. Æ Sestertius (28.5mm, 20.48 g, 12h). Rome mint. 14th emission, AD 231. Laureate bust right, slight drapery / Providentia standing left, holding grain ears over modius and anchor. RIC IV 645; BMCRE 815; Banti 149. Diva Faustina Junior. Died AD 175/6. Æ Sestertius (30mm, 20.86 g, 12h). Consecration issue. Rome mint. Struck under Marcus Aurelius and Commodus, AD 176 and later. Draped bust right / Pulvinar (throne), ornamented and draped, on which a transverse scepter rests right; below, peacock standing front, head right, tail in splendor. RIC III 1704 (Aurelius); MIR 18, 62-6/10; Banti 44. Moved a bit back in time from my usual historical period for these ones. There are no sestertii from the Tetrarchic period and so getting my hands on these larger and weightier coins was an exciting experience. Feel free to share any coins of these individuals in your collections
Nice picks, both have great eye appeal. I'm after one of the pulvinar with a peacock types myself, and yours is really well done.
Lovely pair of coins!.... Great detail on the Severus but really like the portrayal of the peacock on the Faustina. Nice additions Congrats... I've only recently started to collect Sestertius so now can appreciate how these big bronzes feel in hand..Very addictive!...Alas I don't have either of these in Sestertius at the moment but here they are in Silver... Faustina II Junior Silver Denarius 3.36g.,17mm, Rome mint, A.D. 154-156, Obverse. FAVSTINA AVG-PIIAVGFIL Draped bust of Faustina right, Reverse. CONC-O-RDIA, Concordia seated left, holding flower & resting left arm on cornucopiae set on globe below seat.....(RCV 4704; RIC 502a) Severus Alexander. 222-235 AD. AR Denarius (2.89 gm, 20mm). Rome mint. Struck 228 AD. Obv.: IMP SEV ALE-XAND AVG, laureate head right. Rev.: PM TRPVII COSII PP , Mars standing right, holding shield and spear. RIC IV 83; BMCRE 503; RSC 337.
Luke, It looks like you scored two nice looking coins . The sestertius of Severus Alexander is a choice example ! The denarius posted by Spaniard is a choice example too . The Roman celators were very accurate illustrating the emperor's age progression. Pictured below are a couple of denarii from my collection showing the "baby face" emperor at 14 years old & a slightly bearded portrait at 21 years old. The sestertius is his mother.
Lovely coins, @Luke B ! What a way to start off the new year. That Diva Faustina II consecration issue is enviable! Here are a few of mine: Severus Alexander sestertius: Diva Faustina consecration issue sestertius:
Nice new additions, @Luke B . I really like that reverse on your Faustina. Severus Alexander, AE sestertius. (28mm, 19.2g.), Rome, 235 AD. Laureate, draped & cuirassed bust right./ Rev. Sol standing left with whip. RIC 538.
Nice sestertii! I especially like the pulvinar reverse with the facing peacock. That's an interesting consecration type. Here are two denarii of Sev Alex and Faustina Junior that I added to my collection in 2019: Severus Alexander, Roman Empire, AR denarius, 224 AD, Rome mint. Obv: IMP C M AVR SEV ALEXAND AVG; bust of Severus Alexander, laureate and draped, r. Rev: P M TR P III COS P P; Mars standing l., helmeted and in military attire, holding spear and branch. 18mm, 3.21g. Ref: RIC RIC IV Severus Alexander 37. Ex TheRed collection; ex AMCC 2, lot 174 (their picture). Faustina II, Roman Empire, denarius, 161–175 AD, Rome mint. Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA; bust of Faustina II, draped, r. Rev: IVNO, Iuno standing l., holding patera and sceptre, peacock at feet l. 18mm, 2.94g. Ref: RIC III Marcus Aurelius 688.
Really nice coins and a nice way to start out the year, Luke. I have a Severus Alexander sestertius with Providentia similar to yours, but not with the anchor. This is the heaviest SA sestertius I have - most of mine are 20 grams or less. It feels like a big Antonine in hand: Severus Alexander Æ Sestertius Rome Mint (231-235 A.D.) IMP ALEXANDER PIVS AVG laureate bust rt., draped far shoulder / PROVIDENTIA AVG, S-C, Providentia draped standing left by modius, holding grain ears and cornucopiae. RIC 642b; Cohen 503. (24.06 grams / 30 mm) This is a recent acquisition - it is more typical in weight: Severus Alexander Æ Sestertius (222-231 A.D.) Rome Mint IMP SEV ALEXANDER AVG, laureate head right, slight drapery on left shoulder / IVSTITIA AVGVSTI, Justitia draped, seated left with patera and sceptre, SC in exergue. RIC 563b; Cohen 106. (15.81 grams / 26 mm)