Of the million Julia Domna coins I've seen, none has come close to the portrait on this one. She isn't stylized, she doesn't look like a cartoon, and she's not portrayed as a 12-year-old...she looks her 43 years, and so incredibly lifelike, believable, and real. There are coins with better reverses than this one, and coins with better legends, but I'll take this portrait over any others I've seen. Close the show - we have a winner (hahaha).
Here's my Caracalla denarius that was delivered just a couple days ago. Caracalla, AR denarius, struck 208, Rome mint. Obverse: ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, Head of Caracalla, laureate, right, with a little sideburns going on. Reverse: PONTIF TR P XI COS III, Mars, helmeted, standing right, right foot drawn back, holding spear in right hand and shield in left hand. RIC IV 100
Ketchup time: SEPTIMUS SEVERUS RI Septimus Severus 193-211 AR Denarius Genius Sacrificing JULIA DOMNA RI Julia Domna 196-211 CE AE As Hilaritas cornuc RIC IVa 877 CARACALLA RI Caracalla 198-217 AR Quinarius CE 213 1.3g 13.6mm Laureate - Victory Wreath Palm RIC IV 101 RSC 450 RARE PLAUTILLA RI Plautilla 202-205 CE m CaracallaAR Denarius 3.7g Concordia patera scepter RIC 363 GETA RI Geta AR Denarius 209-211 CE On horse spearing enemy Aaannd, I feel we need a ROMAN REPUBLIC BREAK: GETA - BCE RR C Hosidius C F Geta 68 BCE Diana bow quiver Boar Hound spear Sear 346 Craw 407-2 Ahhh, MUCH better after all these narcissistic Emperors...
For a loooooong time this was really my showiest imperial. And it's a sad story this one tells. The loss of good and ascension of evil: Geta CAES Pont/Felicitas- PVBLICA Felicitas stands N.L. Ric 9a, BMC 220-221, c. 38a, Hill 654. Vz
It's not a coin, but since we're on Caracalla I just had to post this (speaking of his thug look) - an artist's colorization of the very famous Caracalla bust:
Bought in ebay auction as an -Anonymous Bronze Ancient Roman coin. It measures 32 MM and weighs 14.16 Grams attributed by @TIF on CT. one of those rare lucky windfalls on ebay! note from CNG archives: Tarsus, Cilicia. Caracalla. 198-217. Tetrassarion (Bronze, 31mm, 16.26 g 6), c. 214-217. ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙ Μ ΑΥΡ CΕΥΗΡ[ΟC ΑΝΤΩΝΕΙΝΟC] CΕΒ Π Π Laureate and cuirassed bust of Caracalla to right, seen from behind. Rev. ΑΝΤΩΝΙΑΝΗC CΕΟΥΗΡ....... ΤΑΡCΟΥ ΜΚΑ /ΓΒ Triptolemos, sowing grain with his right hand and holding a grain sack in his left, standing right in car drawn by two serpents to right. SNG Levante 1049 (this coin). A rare and most interesting piece of fine style. Dark green patina. Good very fine. One of the only good reports about Caracalla is this piece about his positive relationship with the Jews. Who woulda thunk it? CARACALLA, MARCUS AURELIUS ANTONINUS°, Roman emperor 211–217, the eldest son of Emperor Septimius *Severus . The reign of Caracalla was a continuation of the period of rapprochement between the Roman Empire and the Jewish people begun by his father Severus. Contemporary legal sources (Corpus Juris Civilis, Digesta 50:2, 3) indicate that both emperors granted Jews honorary offices in the cities of the Empire on the condition that their religion not come into play. The Church Father *Jerome also refers to their friendship with the Jews in his commentary on Daniel (11:34), and an inscription found in the Kasyoun synagogue in Galilee (Frey, Corpus, 2, no. 972) expresses the friendship of the Jews with these two emperors. Some scholars hold that *Judah ha-Nasi's friendship with Antoninus refers to Caracalla, who was also known by this name. According to Historia Augusta (Caracalla 1:6), Caracalla was a child of seven when he first disclosed his sympathy toward Jews. This source also mentions that Septimius Severus agreed that his son was to hold a triumphal procession, and the Senate voted for a "Jewish triumph" (Severus 16:6–8). Caracalla's political move to grant Roman citizenship to all free residents of the empire (212 C.E.) naturally affected the masses of Jews as well, and though its purpose was to simplify taxation and legal procedures in the empire, its effect was that parity was nominally granted to the Jews for the first time. from Jewish Virtual Library online
Macaronius: ...I mean Macrinus: Macrinus MACEDON. Amphipolis. (217-218). Ae. Obv: AYT M O?E? CEOY MAKPINOC. Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right. Rev: AM?I?O?EIT?N. City-godess seated left, holding patera. Varbanov 3286. 7.9 g, 23 mm
This one from an uncleaned hoard I attributed as Macrinus, and is my only example of this emperor so far. (If it is indeed Macrinus)
Does the obverse legend on the right read something like BACTANAPOC? Give or take a Greek letter or two. (Sadly, my bet is that its not Macrinus.)
Thanks @Roman Collector for the assistance. This coin was one I was unsure about. Now back to the regularly scheduled programming...on Macrinus and Diadumenian