I picked up this coin of Septimius Severus among many other silver Denarii, but only because the reverse showed a person on horseback. Upon returning home, I found out that I have affair with a lion and not a horse. It sounds almost unique to me. Hope it's valuable. It weighs 3.69 g.
Not so rare but a nice coin. SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS AR Denarius OBVERSE: SEVERVS PIVS AVG, laureate head right REVERSE: INDVLGENTIA AVGG, IN CARTH in ex, Dea Caelestis in elaborate headdress riding right on lion, holding thunderbolt & scepter; below, water gushing from rocks left Struck at Rome, 204 AD 3.5g, 18mm RIC IV 266
The person riding the lion is a punic goddess, Dea Caelestis (Carthage´s patron goddess) which is shown happily jumping over a stream of water. This coin conmemorates Emperor Severus "Indulgentia", which should be interpreted as the "benefit" he gave to Carthage using Imperial funds. He built an acueduct for Carthage. As Bing already said, not so rare but nice indeed.
As Bing says, it's not a rare type, but it is wonderful, especially in a sea of standing-god types. It's more scarce for Caracalla.
Nice pick-up, Charles .... yah, I love that coin-type. I need to pull the trigger and add one of those to my animal kingdom (oh, not that I shoot lions ... that would be wrong)
The Reka Devnia Hoard count for this reverse was 198 for Septimius and 94 for Caracalla. That makes it among the most common types for these common rulers. On the other hand, I'm having trouble thinking of many more common types that are more spectacular. Really common types are often just someone standing there. Certainly Falling Horsemen are more common and very flashy by lion riding is a coin that should interest many people and we are fortunate there are a lot of them. Whenever these come up here, I feel compelled to show my more scarce variety where the goddess hold a drum rather than a thunderbolt. How many people recognize this and are willing o pay extra for it..... I do not know. Normal thunderbolt: Scarce drum also has goddess facing: Caracalla:
I've been watching for one of the drum types ever since you showed it a couple of years ago. I never see any for sale.
One of these will be put on my list to keep an eye out for. Everyone should ride a lion in their lifetime. I'm waiting until the last few minutes of my life....just in case something goes wrong . Nice coins all!!
There are a few other sub-varieties that are REALLY scarce, rare or currently unique that I saw noted by Curtis Clay. Septimius, Drum type but without IN CARTH Septimius, Thunderbolt type but with bust draped and cuirassed. Caracalla with normal obverse legend, but long-necked laureate portrait omitting the drapery Septimius, Thunderbolt type but with SEVERVS PIVS AVG - P M TR P XII obverse legend Martin
I just won one of these types today. I really love the reverses on these. Septimius Severus. A.D. 193-211. AR denarius (19 mm, 3.14 g, 6 h). Rome, A.D. 204. SEVERVS PIVS AVG, laureate head of Septimius Severus right / INDVLGEN-TIA AV-GG, IN CARTH in exergue, Dea Caelestis, holding thunderbolt and scepter, riding lion leaping right over water gushing from rocks below.
We often learn something from Doug. I learned I have the common reverse variety with Dea Caelestis holding thunderbolt. I bought in in 1982 from Empire Coins. Some of you might remember the firm and its paper catalogs.
Be aware the type also comes in bronze. Mine is a 'Cast in Gaul' Caracalla with the drum option. For a reason I have never understood, there are very few official AE from the middle years of Septimius' reign. We do see a number of these underweight and not professionally produced copies which the literature attributes to Gaul. You will have trouble finding examples.
I still remember Dennis Kroh and empire coins. I have a collection of his nicely produced catalogs. I bought my first really nice ancient, a Larissa drachm, from him in person a a show in florida. I think he appeared in several movies in the 80s playing a ninja. Now I heard he is a gun dealer. Love the lion riding type. I have been on the lookout for one. I never knew they were made in bronze too.
LOVE the OP @7Calbrey !!! Great posts and information guys!! I have to get an example of the type---somehow something always comes up and prevents me. I wasn't aware of the 'varieties'---Thanks Doug and Martin.
Great coin! Nice example of a very cool type. I too was taken by this design. I only have half a dozen ancients in my present tiny collection, but as odds would have it, one is of this very type!
