New Julia Domna Sestertius - SAECVLI FELICITAS

This is my first Sestertius of Julia Domna that was struck under her son Caracalla:


IVLIA PIA FELIX AVG - Draped bust of Julia Domna right, wearing stephane
SAECVLI FELICITAS S C - Felicitas standing left, sacrificing over altar and holding long caduceus
Æ Sestertius, Rome 215 AD
31 mm / 24.71 g
RIC IV 590, BMCRE 215, Cohen 178, Banti 42 (18 specimens, same obverse die as illustrated)
ex Soler y Llach Auction 109 (10.07.2019), lot 602

Note the significant differences compared to her earlier emissions under Septimius Severus as exemplified by my earlier specimen:


IVLIA AVGVSTA - Draped bust of Julia Domna right
VENVS FELIX S C - Venus standing left, holding apple and drawing out fold of drapery from breast
Sestertius, Rome 199 AD
RIC IV 866, BMCRE 310, Cohen 199
RIC 866, C 199

The main differences of the two destinct styles include (apart from the different reverse types used):
- the obverse legend was restyled to include PIA FELIX
- more realistic portraits featuring older facial features
- usually larger and heavier flans

Please share your thoughts, show your Julia Domnas, let me know which coin should be a keeper in my one-per-ruler collection, what you have in your collection, and which style you generally find more attractive or desirable (and why?), that under Severus or that under Caracalla?

 

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I prefer the style minted under Caracalla, because I believe it's more realistic. By then, she was in her 50s, and the coins from Caracalla show her looking her age. I bought this one because it's a die match (front and back) of the previous denarius I had and sold...still kicking myself for that.

 

Both are very nice, @Julius Germanicus, and I'm hard pressed to tell you which one to keep and which one to sell off. I'm of the "Why limit yourself to one coin per person?" school of numismatics and I have several dozen coins of this fascinating historical figure.

I have five sestertii of Julia Domna in my collection, each with features that make them representative of different phases in her reign.

This first one is very early, before AD 196, when she used JVLIA DOMNA AVG as the obverse inscription:


Julia Domna, AD 193-217
Roman oricalchum sestertius, 21.41 g, 28.8 mm.
Rome, AD 194, issue 4.
Obv: JULIA DOMNA AVG, bare-headed and draped bust, r.
Rev: VENERI VICTR SC, Venus, naked to waist, standing r., holding apple and palm, resting l. elbow on column.
Refs: RIC-842; BMCRE-488; Cohen-195; Sear-6631; Hill-113.

The second one has her earlier hairstyle, but uses the subsequent IVLIA AVGVSTA obverse inscription:

Julia Domna, AD 193-217.
Roman oricalchum sestertius, 19.29 g, 29.4 mm.
Rome, AD 199.
Obv: IVLIA AVGVSTA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
Rev: VENVS FELIX S C, Venus standing left, holding apple and fold of drapery.
Refs: RIC 866; BMCRE 775; Cohen 199; RCV 6632; Hill 387.

The third also uses the IVLIA AVGVSTA inscription, but was issued just before her husband died and it features a transitional hairstyle resembling her late "helmet hair" coiffure:


Julia Domna, AD 193-217
Roman orichalcum sestertius; 26.43 g, 32.5 mm, 12 h
Rome, AD 211
Obv: IVLIA AVGVSTA, bare-headed and draped bust, right
Rev: IVNONI LVCINAE, Juno enthroned left, holding flower and child in swaddling clothes
Refs: RIC 857; BMCRE 770; Cohen 94; RCV 6627; Hill 1173.

The fourth is one issued under the authority of Caracalla after the death of Septimius Severus and bears the IVLIA PIA FELIX AVG inscription and her late coiffure.


Julia Domna, AD 193-217
Roman Orichalcum sestertius, 21.3 g, 32 mm.
Rome, issued under Caracalla, AD 213.
Obv: IVLIA PIA FELIX AVG, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
Rev: IVNONEM SC, Juno standing left, holding patera and scepter; peacock at feet.
Refs: RIC 585b; BMCRE 210; RCV 7114 var.

The fifth is also of this late era, but Julia wears a stephane:


Julia Domna, AD 193-217.
Roman orichalcum sestertius, 19.44 g, 29.75 mm, 12 h.
Rome, AD 211-217.
Obv: IVLIA PIA FELIX AVG, bust of Julia Domna, draped and wearing stephane, right.
Rev: VESTA S C, Vesta seated left, holding simpulum in right hand and transverse scepter in left hand.
Refs: RIC 593; BMCRE 217-219; Cohen 228; RCV 7123; Hill 1460.

 

I'd keep both, but I thought the younger portrait was a bit better. (Heck I wish we were all a bit younger).

 

Julia Domna Ae Sestertius 211-217 AD Minted during the reign of Caracalla Obv. Bust right diademed and draped. Rv Juno standing left peacock at feet. RIC 588a Pangrel Portraits 321 This coin illustrated. Part of the Luc Girard Collection 24.59 grms 30 mm Photo by W. Hansen I cannot say much about this coin except when I saw it at the Berlin Numismata I decided that I had to own it. (translation I paid stupid money to get it, hey my souvenir from Berlin ) I cannot say what I think of the portraits of her minted during the reign of her son versus those minted during the reign of her husband except that it seems that the flans on the sestertii from the reign of Caracalla seem to me to be a bit larger and thus are more pleasing from an aesthetic point of view. Her hair is much more elaborately drawn in the later portraits though I detect more severity in the expression. In total as decent sestertii from this period in time are difficult to acquire I am just happy I got one.

 

I have only three coins of Julia Domna, all minted during her husband's reign, with three extremely different looks:







PS: I would keep both. It's impossible for me to put myself in the "one per reign" mindset. Even though that was my theoretical goal when I started, I never viewed it as a strict rule, and abandoned it quickly. I have more than 10 for some (counting Provincials), while not bothering so far to acquire even one of some readily available emperors. I do try to acquire at least one of each empress that I can. I'm afraid I'm biased that way.

 

Here is my Julia Domna denarius.

Julia Domna, 198 - 200 AD
Laodicea Mint, 19mm, 3.13 grams
Obv: IVLIA AVGVSTA, Draped bust of Julia right.
Rev: LAETITIA, Laetitia standing left.
RIC 641