Septimius Severus NewP (My 2nd Ancient!)

@Bing and others kindly welcomed me about a week and a half ago when I posted my 1st ancient and he left me an enticing pic with these words:

So here I am, my 2nd Ancient:


Septimius Severus (193-211) AR Denarius. Rome, AD 207.
Obv: SEVERVS PIVS AVG - Laureate head of Septimius Severus right.
Rev: P M TR P XV COS III P P - Victory, standing right, foot on globe, inscribing shield set on palm tree.
3.67g, 19.83mm.
RIC IV Part I 211, RSC 489, BMC 534, S-6340

Ex. Superior Galleries: Dr. Charles L. Ruby Collection Part II (June 1974), Lot 1013.

So now I'm thinking I need Julia Domna, Geta, and Caracalla to go along with this one.

Think I'm hooked?

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Oh, there is no going back now. Very nice coin

 

Great coin. Lovely tone and one of my favorite reverse types.

 

It's a great coin! I love the intensity of his gaze .

Yep, you're hooked-- and yep, time to shop for the rest of the clan .

 

Very nice coin #2!

I eagerly await coin #3.

 

I certainly hope so! Severans make a very good addiction. This is a nice one. For the record, I have about 500 from the family and do not have this one (most are Eastern mints from the early part of the reign - there are soooo many ways to be addicted). Consider selecting the Domna and boys coins carefully to look good with this one and not just rushing to the first one that comes along. You have decisions ahead. Do you want all denarii or a series of different denominations. Do you care about the reverse (this is a nice one) or just the portrait. Whatever you decide is right as long as it is what brings you pleasure. Be careful, though, Caracalla had a wife Plautilla. Septimius declared himself emperor as the avenger of Pertinax and battles other claimants to power who also issued coins to feed your addiction. Anyone who 'completes' a set of any ancient coins is usually using a very weak meaning of the word.

 

All I can say is that I like your taste in coins and addictions. Congrats!

 

An excellent choice! The coin is well-struck and centered on both sides with admirable style, and the surfaces are smooth and clean with natural, dark toning. Here is a page that will help you decipher the abbreviations on the reverse, if you are unfamiliar with them...

Reading Ancient Roman Coins

Victory was not merely a personification in Roman religion, but a full-fledged goddess whose temples abounded throughout the empire. The earliest instance of the scene of Victory inscribing a shield occurs on the quinarii of the Republic moneyer C. Egnatuleius, 97 BC. (If there's an earlier one, please correct me!)



Welcome aboard!

 

From Trajan's Column...

 

Yes but after Christianity came into power, Victory continued to write but changed her text to a Christian Chi-Rho on this bronze of Eudoxia. About this time the concepts of Christian Angels and Roman Victories become harder to separate.

 

dadams => wow, that's an awesome OP-coin ... it's a total winner (you seem to have very good coin-taste)

=> you can't teach that "stuff" ... I'm sure it's gonna be fun to watch you buy and post your cool coins!! (I can't wait)

 

I hate to be the guy who says "I told you so", but I told you so @dadams. very nice coin. Well detailed all around. Next the rest of the family, and then perhaps A Pius, or a Flavian or...., well you get where I'm going with this. Good hunting and don't spend the kid's inheritance.

 

Oh, and I absolutely "love" your OP-coin ...

I loved it so much that I bought the Roman Republic version ...





... ummm, maybe it's just me?

=> either way, that is a fantastic OP-score (congrats)

 

Fantastic coin @dadams !!!

Full of eye-appeal and just a great choice!! Now that you're 'officially' hooked beware of late night impulse purchases LOL

 

Very nice toning, great coin.

 

A similar sestertius of Severus Alexander, last of the Severan emperors:

 

Nice coin, OP. I don't have the same type. Mine is victory holding a wreath over a shield standing on a low column.

 

VICTORY:

Roman Republic
Anonymous, 265-242 BCE
AR Didrachm (6.55g, 18mm, 6h)
Rome mint
Obv: Head of Roma right, wearing Phrygian helmet, cornucopiae behind
Rev: ROMANO, Victory standing right, attaching wreath to long palm, YY in right field. Ref: Sear 25; Crawford 22/1; RSC 7.
Ex: From the Eucharius Collection
Comment: Considered the FIRST AR coin from the Rome mint.

 

500!! Wow! I did read up a bit about the "Severan dynasty" and have been listening to the podcast series The History of Rome by Mike Duncan, which I highly recommend.

I'll admit I have been looking at a lot of coins, both here and at dealers sites and I chose this one based on a couple factors, but primarily on the eye appeal - at least to me anyway. I'm coming from US Type set collecting and I've learned something about eye appeal over the last few years, but of course Ancient eye appeal is very different. I'm not too much liking a majority of the off center coins I've viewed, nor have I cared for many coins that even after looking at them for a couple minutes I have to stop and ask myself "what the heck is that?"

I have decided that for "Domna and boys" I'll need denarii, but I'd be open to all denominations - I do promise not to rush.

History - I think this is why I'm here. It was/is damn cool to hold a little coin that's 1809 years old.

 

Thank you for the link!!!! and the info on Victory.

@Aethelred -- just read your article. You have to tell me about these things!