Roman Denarius ID

Hi everyone,

Got this as a Christmas gift.
Please ID this coin. I apologize for the terrible photos.


Thanks
Larry

 

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I believe that your coin is a denarius of Severus Alexander with a reverse that I think depicts Jupiter. He ruled from 222 to 235 A.D. after ascending to the throne at 13. Additionally, if I were you, I’d highly recommend paying a visit to Wildwinds.com, which is essentially a massive database of Greek, Roman, and Byzantine coins.

 

Thank you for the info!

 

That's a nice looking denarius of Severus Alexander.
@Bradley Trotter is correct both with the reverse, and also using wildwinds:

Severus Alexander
Denarius
224 AD
Obverse: IMP C M AVR SEV ALEXAND AVG, laureate, draped bust right
Reverse: P M TR P III COS P P, Jupiter standing left holding thunderbolt and sceptre.

 

..dandy Sev Alex denarius Swevro

 

looks like this. Do you agree?


Severus Alexander AR denarius. AD 222. Rome mint.

IMP C M AVR SEV ALEXAND AVG, Laureate, draped bust right.
PM TR P COS PP - Jupiter standing left, holding thunderbolt and
sceptre.

RIC 5, Sear 7891, RSC 204.

 

What do you think is the value?

 

..why...you want to sell it?

 

Probably $30-40 I’d imagine

 

This one is just TR P COS.
Original coin is TR P I_I COS with the 2nd I being absent.

 

I was going to say $75 - curious if they meant what the donor paid or what it would sell for.

 

Whoa, I’m way off. I’ve only bought a single denarius in my life so I have such a skewed perspective on value; all my goods are gigantic bronzes that cost next to nothing!

 

I think you are both correct, depending on where/who you buy it from.

 

Your photos will be somewhat clearer if you remove them from the holder for the photo, but if in a carboard holder closed with staples, don't scratch the coin removing it. The denarii of Alexander Severus are frequently found in this nice condition. You asked about value. I have several coins of this emperor and would probably have offered $40-45 for it at a coin show, but if I did not already have several coins of this emperor and needed one I would have gone a bit higher.

 

This is most certainly true and it might be possible to find very similar examples for twice the high price and be difficult to find someone to buy it from you for half the lower number. Many people value coins using a number of consideration that are hard to understand. If that coin were sold by a major dealer who researched past sales and discovered it was once part of a famous collection, $140 might be easily realized. If you list it on eBay with poor photos and no reputation as a person who is both knowledgeable and honest, you might have trouble finding a buyer for any price, even $20. What is the coin worth? That depends on what it is worth to you and you alone until you decide to sell it when the price depends on the opinions of annother person willing to buy. There is no 'Red Book' for ancients.

 

the OP coin is a TRP II , here's mine:

 

That's a nice looking Severus Alexander denarius. As a collector, I find his coins to be either very appealing, or not appealing at all - the quality of the artistry can be pretty crude, the strikes poor, the metal dull and gray.

But when they are nice, as the OP is, coins of Severus Alexander can be very nice indeed. I think Doug's comments on "what's it worth" are a bull's eye.

I haven't shared this in a while - I paid $18 for it (eBay) because it was taped to an "ancient" retail card from Bath, England, where these were sold to tourists. This sort of thing is usually fake, but they turn up on eBay from time to time and they appear to be genuine - I am pretty sure this one is.

This is one of the better SA that I own - with a beard is a bonus too:




Severus Alexander Denarius
(227 A.D.)
Rome Mint
IMP C M AVR SEV ALEXAND AVG, laureate and draped bust right / P M TR P VI COS II P P, Alexander standing, sacrificing from patera over lit tripod altar, scroll in left hand.
RIC 70; RSC 325 (Bath, Eng.)
(2.68 grams / 18 mm)

 

Here's mine; I bought it off of eBay a few months back from one of the members on this forum. It certainly doesn't have the best flan or reverse, but I only paid less than $30 for it.


Severus Alexander
AR Denarius
222 – 228 A.D.
Obverse: IMP C M AVR SEV ALEXAND AVG; laureate and draped bust right.
Reverse: PAX AETERNA AVG; Pax, draped, standing left, holding olive-branch in right hand and sceptre in left hand.
RIC IV Rome 165

 

..well, i have a feeling this person was just here for the moment, with this one coin, judging from what they've asked us to tell them....no interrest in history or ancient coins really...just 'what is it' & 'what's it worth'...maybe i'm wrong...time will tell....i commend you peeps for giving info to the uneducated...and making a good thread out of this!

 

All of us were beginners at one point. You can never tell who will catch the bug.