Reply to Thread

Message:: [QUOTE="Roman Collector, post: 3561398, member: 75937"]Well, it's been two days ... going back to "scarce denomination (for its time)."Denarii were scarce in the days of Aurelian. The denomination was not routinely minted after AD 240, when Gordian III stopped issuing them. Aurelian, however, revived the denomination as part of his monetary reform of AD 274, and it was -- like the new antoninianus (sometimes called the "Aurelianus") -- a silvered but heavily debased coin. Denarii for Aurelian were struck in Rome, Mediolanum, Serdica, Siscia, and Cyzicus and come in a variety of reverse types, although the VICTORIA AVG is by far the most common of these. In contrast, those for Severina were struck in Rome only and only with the VENVS FELIX reverse type. [ATTACH=full]946877[/ATTACH] Severina, AD 270-275.Roman billon denarius, 2.52 g, 18.8 mm, 6 h.Rome mint, officina 5, issue 11, early – September AD 275.Obv: SEVERINA AVG, diademed and draped bust, right.Rev: VENVS FELIX, Venus standing left, holding unidentified object (perfume box, apple?) and long scepter; –/–//∈.Refs: RIC 6; <a href="http://www.ric.mom.fr/en/coin/1861" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.ric.mom.fr/en/coin/1861" rel="nofollow">MER/RIC 1861</a>; Cohen 14; RCV 11710; CBN 285-86; La Venera 1510-11. Next: design element that remains unidentified and puzzles modern numismatists. [/QUOTE]