Post Your Favorite Sestertius!

Yes, the parazonia are short swords carried by Roman soldiers.

I share your puzzlement about the four aquila on the reverse while the description states only two of the soldiers are carrying them. Each standard would have only one aquila, so it would make sense that four soldiers would be carrying them, not two.

Thus I believe that this description above must be in error (and is widely copied) since I have found other descriptions of this reverse (RIC 32) that state "four of the soldiers carry also aquila." Also, some descriptions of similar coins simply state "...soldiers holding shields and aquilae."

 

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My favorites (and two of my favorite coins overall) are the Colosseum and Port of Ostia:





I'm also inadvertently building a set of Trajan architectural bronze, depicting various parts of his Forum, currently comprised of two sestertii and one as:

 

Beautiful AJ. Just beautiful.

 

Since @Volodya started it...

Roman Republic AR Sestertius(12.75 mm, 1.14 g). Anonymous. After 211 B.C. Rome mint. Helmeted head of Roma right; behind, IIS. Border of dots / Dioscuri galloping right; in linear frame, ROMA. Line border. Crawford 44/7; Sydenham 142; RSC 4.

I don't own any bronze/brass sestertii, just the tiny silver type

 

Nice coins everyone. My few.
Doug

 

Those are best five coins I have ever seen AncientJoe , absolutely fantastic. If I owned them I wouldn't bother collecting anymore because in my eyes nothing could surpass that.

 

Wow, there is some amazing stuff in this thread. I sure wish I could say "my other Caligula sestertius..." I love those trays, too... @Ken Dorney, @Cucumbor, @Julius Germanicus. (Still feeling like a kid in the candy shop having just found this forum. I'm concerned about my productivity...)

Since everyone is breaking the rule of one favourite only, I will too. I love sestertii, but the ones I really like always seem to be out of my price range. I'll list six, with the reasons they're my favs.

Nero (because it's Nero! Nice arch.)


Trajan (nice portrait, though nothing like @AncientJoe's.)


Caracalla (nice portrait, too bad about the sneeze)

Gordian III (nice portrait, love those glossy surfaces)


Volusian (had this for decades, hard to find a better portrait of him... too bad about the reverse, though!)


And finally, a Postumus double (can you tell I collect portraits?? am willing to put up with some problems on the rev. )

 

Hell I'm just posting this Sestertius of Antoninus Pius just to have something about a 100th as good as AncientJoe five piece extravaganza, Rome 142 AD, Sear 4199, 22.2gm.

 

Those are some excellent bronzes you have there, @Severus Alexander. Welcome to CoinTalk!

 

I'm feeling very welcome, thanks! Both nice coins and nice folks here. (Well, of course!)

 

Thanks for the kind words @Severus Alexander and welcome at CT

Since everyone seem to post all theirs, I'll show a bit more of my own sestertii (always sorry to post after @AncientJoe though )


Antoninus Pius, Sestertius Rome mint, AD 140/144
ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P COS III, laureate head right
PROVIDENTIAE DEORVM, winged thunderbolt, S - C in field
25.86 gr, 31 mm
Ref : Cohen #682, RCV # 4208, RIC III # 618



Julia Mamaea, Sestertius Rome mint, AD 224
IVLIA MAMA EA AVGVSTA, Draped and diademed bust right
VENERI FELICI, Venus standing right, holding Cupid and a sceptre. SC in field
17.85 gr
Ref : RIC # 694, RCV # 8232, Cohen # 62



Maximus, Sestertius struck in Rome in 236-238 AD
MAXIMVS CAES GERM, Draped bust of Maximus right
PRINCIPI IVVENTVTIS, Maximus standing left with two standards behind him, SC in field
18.64 gr
Ref : RCV #8411, Cohen #14



Philippus I, Sestertius struck in Rome in 248 AD
IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG, Draped and laureate bust of Philippus right
P M TRP V COS III PP, Felicitas standing left, holding cornucopiae and caduceus
18.71 gr
Ref : Cohen #149, RCV #9008



Aurelian and Severina, Double sestertius Rome mint AD 274-275
IMP AVRELIANVS AVG, radiate and cuirassed bust of Aurelian right
SEVERINA AVG, diademed and draped bust of Severina right, on crescent
11.18 gr
Ref : Cohen # 1, RIC # 2, RCV # 11696

Q

 

All very nice coins but that Maximus is excellent, with great detail.

 

Hey, welcome Severus Alexander ... sweet coins

Oh, and awesome coins from the rest of you coin-regulars as well (keep the 'stuff' up!!)

 

Some beautiful sestertii posted here today!

A welcome from me as well, Severus Alexander

This is great forum to discuss, learn, see and just enjoy the beauty and history of ancient coins.

Here is a sestertius to welcome you:

Severus Alexander (222-235), Sestertius, Rome, AD 222-231.
VICTORIA AVGVSTI, Victory standing r., inscribing [VOT / X] on shield set on a palm tree; in field, S - C.

 

Thanks, @Eduard! I always like to celebrate my "victories" (see the Victory/Nike thread for a companion AE as). I must say, though, it looks like I stayed up too late on your sest... Something I think will happen all too often on this forum!

 

Your eye for under-appreciated quality was instrumental in acquiring this latter (Port of Ostia) sestertius. I remember that the catalog picture of it was mediocre and didn't highlight the high quality of either the obverse or reverse. It surely was a great find in that auction.

One of my earlier sestertius acquisitions still remains not only one of my favorites but a coin which I believe has one of the best Roman imperial portraits on a sestertius:



GALBA 68 - 69 A.D.
AE Sestertius (28.10 g.) Rome late summer 68 AD RIC 309
IMP SER SVLP GALBA - CAESAR AVG TR P Laureate and draped bust r.
Rev. LIBERTAS - PUBLICA Libertas standing l., holding pileus and long scepter; S - C in field.

The reverse suffers from a slight double-strike but the obverse portrait more than overcomes that small deficiency.

 

Trajan rough, still has great details

 

That's jaw-dropping!

 

great portret Domitian