Macrinus Sestertius

I finally got to upgrade my shabby Macrinus AE As to a proper Sestertius.

Macrinus was the first Emperor not of Senatorial rank, but a lawyer, legal advisor to Plautianus, and eventually pretorian prefect. Being a lawyer myself, I feel quite sympathetic for him.

I am not going to bore you with the story of his rise and fall and just leave it with one sentence (courtesy of RIC) which sums it up: "Although the reign of Macrinus contributed little to the glory of Imperial Rome, in contrast with the venomous tyranny of Caracalla and the degrading buffoonery of Elagabalus, it must rank as an interlude of sane, if not brilliant statesmanship."

I have tried to do a little write up concentrating on the history of the history of the dies that were used to make my coin, nevertheless heavily relying on Curtis Clays brilliant analysis in Numismatische Zeitschrift, 93 (1979, p.21-40) and that of Dieter Salzmann in Jahrbuch des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts, 98 (1983, p.351-381)

After Macrinus was proclaimed emperor in Mesopotamia on April 11, 217, following the assassination of Caracalla three days earlier, the news of his accession must have reached Rome in the first half of May, 217.
After public vows were performed for Macrinus and his son Diadumenianus, who had been proclaimed Caesar by the Senate, the Roman mint immediately began the production of a first emission in all three metals.

In the first four months of his reign, Macrinus was shown with younger features and a short, cropped beard (Type 1 according to Salzmann).

While the obverse legend IMP C M OPEL SEV MACRINVS was not altered during all of his reign, the different emissions are distinguished by the evolvement of the reverse types and legends, which during the first emission conclude with P M TR P on the dated issues (showing the types of Felicitas, Fides, Jupiter, Salus and Securitas).

While he production of the regular silver denominations (Denarii and Antoniniani) was carried on in the same scale of his predecessor, the production of in gold and bronze was very limited.

In fact, it was so limited that only one single obverse die was used for the production of Sestertii at this stage (Die 1 in the appendix of Curtis Clay´s work, illustrated on plate 4, Nr.1). Curtis Clay found no less than nine reverse types combined with this die during it´s service life, but none of the first emission showing Felicitas.

Around late July 217, the first emission was succeeded by a second emission in all three metals, in which the legend of the dated issues was changed to PONTIF MAX TR PPP.

The production of Sestertii was still limited to the same single obverse die (Clay Nr.1). The Felicitas Sestertius of this type is listed as RIC 121 (Tinchant Collection).

Around 1 September 217, the short cropped beard is succeeded by a medium beard on the gold, silver and bronze coinage (Salzmann type 2).

To accomplish this feat on the bronze coinage, a second Sestertius obverse die was produced, likewise showing a cuirassed bust left seen from the front, but featuring a medium beard (Die 2 according to Curtis Clay). This ist the very die used for my coin (the Vienna specimen illustrated on Plate 5, Nr.24 in Clay´s article).

For the Felicitas type, it was combined with two reverse dies showing the goddess and the legend PONTIF MAX TR PPP (RIC 119, Cohen 80, BRMCRE 113, Sear 7391)

Next, around 1 October 217, on the basis of his new Consular ornaments, COS was added to Macrinus´ numismatic titulature, which now read PONTIF MAX TR P COS PP. Therefore,

Both obverse dies were now combined (amongst other types) with new new Felicitas reverse dies with the legend PONTIF MAX TR P COS PP.

Only one coin featuring a combination oft the short bearded Sestertius obverse die (Sear 1) with this Felicitas reverse has ever been heard of (RIC 140, Luneau Catalogue 1923, 1957. This is no surprise because the portrait on that die was soon re-engraved to feature a medium-sized beard resembling the one on the second (my) die. This second state of the original obverse die is documented in Clay´s plate 4, Nr.5.

The combination oft the medium-bearded Sestertius obverse die (Clay Nr.2) with the same Felicitas reverse is known as RIC 139, Cohen 66, Sear 7386.

This combination was used to strike my coin. There is a double die matching Sestertius on the market (Roma 04.05.2007 = Roma 02.10.2011= Künker 08.10.2012 = Roma 30.04.2016, https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=1099613 , but I have no suspicion of either being a cast. Even though the other example is rated EF in the Roma 2011 catalogue, I find it inferior to mine, which was graded choice VF with Strike 5/5 and Surface 5/5 by NGC (I did free it from the plastic box at once ).


IMP CAES M OPEL SEV MACRINVS AVG
Laureate and cuirassed bust right, featuring a medium beard, from the front
PONTIF MAX TR P COS PP S C
Felicitas standing facing, head left, long caduceus in right hand, cornucopia in left hand, drapery over left arm
Sestertius, Rome, 1.Oct.-31.Dec.217
20,5 gr, 31 mm
RIC IV 139, Cohen 66, Sear 7386, Clay Nr.2





The Sestertius output was then (October 217 onwards) increased by creating eight more obverse dies, all featuring longer beards (Salzmann type 3), some showing Macrinus cuirassed bust from the front (Clay Nr. 4, 7 and 11), while others differed in showing his bust not only cuirassed, but also draped (Clay Nr. 3, 5, 6, 9, 10). The medium-bearded die Nr.2 was not recut.

When Macrinus took up his first real consulship on 1 January 218, yet another change in the numismatic titulature occured, as the Roman mint, without awaiting his instructions, changed the reverse legend to COS II, which resulted in PONTIF MAX TR P II COS II on the corresponding Sestertius types, the Felicitas type being known as RIC 155, Cohen 95.

This was reverted to PONTIF MAX TR P II COS PP around 1 Feb 218, the Felicitas type of this is listed as RIC 149, Cohen 84.

There is also an undated Felicitas type Sestertius with the legend FELICITAS TEMPORUM, minted during Macrinus’ second Emission, RIC 172, Cohen 16, BMCRE p. 524, Sear 7376.

Macrinus’ second Emission ended in early March 218 and with it not only the use of my coin´s classy obverse die and with it the medium length beard alltogether, but also the use oft Felicitas on Macrinus coinage.

 

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A lovely coin! Worthy of any collection. I am jealous!

 

Absolutely beautiful!!

 

Great coin

 

Majestic is a word that comes to mind.
Great coin!

 

Very nice!

 

This is a great coin. It is interesting how long the low production of bronzes lasted. After a real glut of coins under the Antonines and a good number in the first year of Septimius, production really fell off until sometime in the reign of Severus Alexander. I have heard the explanation that there were so many excess coins from before 193 in circulation that it took a while to need many. I wonder if there is more than this to the matter.

 

Total eye appeal on that sestertius----it has everything I would want in an ancient coin! Great write-up as well.

 

A real looker @Julius Germanicus.

 

A sestertius that looked like that would be a winner if it was of the most common emperor, but Macrinus, dude, you are just showing off!!!

 

Wow, that's an outstanding coin... congrats on the acquisition!

 

A sestertius out my collection securitas Temporvm
A young Macrinus

 

Wow, Ro! I like yours, too!!! That is RIC 205, BMCR 106, C 129, Sear 7401
Do you have further info on it´s history? It is obviously not Clay´s obverse die Nr.1, but could be dies 6, 9 or 10 (draped AND cuirassed), which he found combined with FELICITAS TEMPORUM. I thought those dies had bearded portraits, but I have not seen pictures of them so that could be an error. There are more early Sestertii on acSearch (but none with Securitas seated) that I cannot fit in there (there was no internet in 1979 and there must be twice as many Sestertii of Macrinus known now...).

Personally, I think the early imperial issues of Macrinus with the short cropped beard (Salzmann type 1; all Antoniniani, the Denari of emission 1 and those of the first phase of emission 2 before September 217, and early Sestertii) are of fine style (that is why they have always been attributed to the mint of Rome) but somehow resemble a prototype for the generic Soldier Emperor portraits in the years to come.

The late issues of Macrinus after October 217 featuring a long beard (Salzmann type 3 and 4 including Denarii and Sestertii of third phase of Emission 2 onwards) are more and more developing towards a less realistic, more abstract, eastern, provincial style (that has been called artistically inferior by some) to the point that Macrinus begins to resemble Pescennius Niger (that is why they used to be attributed to Antioch until Curtis Clay´s die analysis).

These rare intermediate coins with a medium beard (Salzmann type 2, second phase of Emission 2 between September and October 2017) however in my eyes show the most sensitive portraits of all of Macrinus coinage, more like a late Sestertius of Geta.

 

Thanks for your great history on my coin



Laureate head of Macrinus right "IMP CAES M OPEL SEV MACRINVS
AVG" Securitas seated left holding a scepter "SECVRITAS TEMPORVM SC" RIC VI 205 It is not Alexander he those not use SECVRITAS TEMPORVM SC" (Cited from:

All the info i have by my coin
23.01g

 

THAT is a gorgeous and tough coin to find RO! Well done!

 

Very nice and a very nice history write-up! Thanks for the detail. I love the history / info behind a coin

 

Lovely coin and of very fine style! I'm envious.

Interesting write-up about the coin, too--that's what ancient numismatics is all about!

 

Actually, according to C. Clay´s study, Macrinus´ Sestertii were struck with only 15 obverse dies in total, as compared to 11 Aureus dies (interestingly, the sole short-bearded Aureus die was also recut to show a long beard for the second emission, like the first Sestertius die!!).

Consequently, Macrinus´ Sestertii nowadays are much closer to gold coins in rarity than to silver (as one would expect). ERIC II accordingly knows of only 38 Sestertii being publicly sold in the last 15 years as compared to 14 Aurei and no less than 405 Denari, a fact that shows that there must have been more than 200 Denarius dies in use.

This shows that the production of Sestertii (and the even rarer Dupondii and Asses) during these years is not likely to have happened primarily out of economic reasons.

 

Beautiful sestertius and very elegant patina, a keeper.

Sadly, I don't have any sestertius of his to share but a middle bronze sized provincial bearing a good portrait


Macrinus, Bronze struck in Nicopolis
AVT KM .... H MAKRINOC, Laureate and cuirassed bust of Macrinus right
V M AGRIPPA NIKOPOLITWNPROC IC TR, Tyche standing left, holding cornucopia and rudder
14.26 gr
Ref : ANMG #1710

Q