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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Julius Germanicus, post: 4003816, member: 80783&quot;]My last acquisition of 2019 has finally arrived, so here it is:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1054110[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>L SEPT SEV PE-RT AVG IMP VIII – Laureate and cuirassed bust of Septimius Severus right, seen 3/4 from behind </p><p>ADVENTVI AVG FELICISSIMO S C - Septimius Severus, in military attire, on horse prancing right, raising right hand in salute; in front helmeted Roma advancing right, looking left, leading the emperor´s horse by holding it´s bridle in right hand and vexillum in left hand </p><p>Sestertius, Rome 196 aD. </p><p>32,9 mm / 19,06 gr </p><p>RIC 719c (R2); BMCRE 596; Cohen 8 var. (draped and cuirassed, 25 F), CSS 227; Sear 6403, Banti 4 (26 specimens)</p><p>ex Auctions Jean Elsen Nr. 142, 14.09.2019, lot 513 and Nr.143, 07.12.2019, lot 454</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1054111[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>And here is a little historic and numismatic background:</p><p><br /></p><p>While campaigning against the Parthians in retaliation for their support for Pescennius Niger in early 196 aD, Septimius Severus received the news of Clodius Albinus´ usurpation in Britain, who had been provoked by Severus´ step of advancing his own elder son Caracalla to the rank of Caesar in December of 195 and thereby making Albinus´ position as heir to the throne untenable. </p><p><br /></p><p>Since the military actions against the rebellious tribes had ended and no longer required his personal attention, Severus gave his legionnaires the order to march west.</p><p><br /></p><p>During the return march, he received the news that the defiant Byzantium had been conquered. The army there had hailed him Imperator for the 8th time, as would be recorded on the coins of this issue.</p><p><br /></p><p>Severus as the prototype soldier emperor wasn´t content with his status as lord of the entire East and victorious general but found it necessary to further strengthen the positive mood of the legionnaires with a donative. </p><p><br /></p><p>The army marched back at an impressive pace with the Emperor traveling, as illustrated on the reverse of this coin, on horseback at the head of his troops (he would only switch to a covered litter for his British campaign due to his deteriorating health two decades later).</p><p><br /></p><p>After returning to Europe, Severus only stopped to consecrate a temple in Perinth that he had praised for the positive outcome before the war against Pescennius Niger.</p><p><br /></p><p>In the summer of 196 Severus visited Rome under the strictest security precautions. Clodius Albinus had crossed over to Gaul in Spring and the borderland had been fortified. His return after at least three years of absence made the Roman population aware of the feeling of continuity in power, even under the circumstances of the approaching civil war. </p><p><br /></p><p>The mint at the capital anticipated the triumphal return and corresponding games and money distributions by celebrating Severus´ auspicious arrival by means of an elaborate reverse design illustrating the emperor entering Rome on horseback, raising his hand in greeting and led by the figure of Roma herself, the personification of the capital (and not a comon soldier,&nbsp; als reported in most of the literature), on an emission of Aurei, Sestertii, and bronze Medallions (corresponding Denarii and some Sestertii omit the figure of Roma).</p><p><br /></p><p>The Sestertii of this type were struck with three bust types: laureate head right (RIC 719 a, BMC 595, Banti 2), laureate bust right, wearing paludamentum and cuirass (RIC 719b, BMC 596 note, Banti 3), and, like my coin, laureate bust right, wearing cuirass only (RIC 719c, BMC 596, Banti 4).</p><p>The first two varieties are very rare, as is a reverse version with Severus and the horse only (RIC 718, BMC 598, Banti 1).</p><p>The reverse of the bronze Medallion in Berlin (Gnecchi II, 73; Dressel 95, Banti 5) shows the horse rearing. </p><p><br /></p><p>As Curtis Clay kindly pointed out in another thread, the 59 Sestertii of this type (with all bust types) known to him in 1972 were struck from a total of 17 reverse dies (a further 7 specimens from 2 reverse dies omit the figure of Roma, RIC 718, BMC 598, Banti 1). My coin is a previously unreported die combination (obverse die Severus Nr. 313 and reverse die Nr. 459 in his catalogue).&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>There were two ADVENTVI AVG FELICISSIMO specimens found in the Guelma hoard among a total of 57 Sestertii of Septimius Severus.</p><p><br /></p><p>Thanks for reading and let´s see your Adventus coins![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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