I have an AE Sestertius of Julia Mamaea, not in the greatest condition, some letters in the legend worn off, but the portrait is quite nice, reverse is decent.... can't say the grade, I will have photos in a short time hopefully. This is where I found on the same coin as mine on wildwinds: http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/sear5/s8235.html#RIC_0705 Julia Mamaea AE Sestertius. 228-9 AD. rev: VENVS VICTRIX S C - Venus standing left holding helmet & scepter, shield at feet. Cohen 78. They only have one example, and it doesn't look to great overall. I am just curious how rare of a coin this type is? I see the 'Felicitas Publica' Sestertius with Felicitas standing leaning on column fairly often, but have never seen this 'Venus Victrix' Sestertius of Julia Mamaea. Of course the fact that I hadn't seen one before the one that I purchased means little. My real question is just about the rarity of the overall type. Anyone know anything about this issue ? I'll try to get those photos as soon as I can.
Pictures... Okay, sorry about the wait. I managed to get a few halfway decent photos. The second shot of the obverse is discolored, due to my camera... there is also some debris like hair and dust on it in that shot that look like scratches. I show it next to my 'Felicitas Publica' Sestertius. This new one is much thicker, and you can see the difference in obverse dies and the difference in the color of the patina. There are some places on the reverse with nice detail, such as the helmet and Venus' hair and fingers. I had alot of trouble taking decent photos this time, so some detail is harder to see. I know it isn't in great condition, but I really like the bust, and the detail of the helmet and such on the reverse. Julia Mamaea AE Sestertius. 228-9 AD. obv: JULIA MAMAEA AUGUSTA - Draped bust right. rev: VENUS VICTRIX -SC- - Venus standing left holding helmet & scepter, shield at feet.
Thanks for the comments fellas, I am quite happy with it. I have noticed this sestertius is much thicker than any of my other ones of either Julia Mamaea or Severus Alexander. Take a look, it's still hard to judge scale though. As far as weight, I don't know the weight of this 'Venus' sestertius at the moment. However I know the weight of the one next to it is 19.6 grams, fairly typical for the sesterces minted during reign of Severus Alexander. I know that the strikes and thicknesses vary from one to another, just an interesting side note.
