Featured The beginning of my Sestertii collection - The Severan boys

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Salaethus, Jan 26, 2020.

  1. Salaethus

    Salaethus Well-Known Member

    I am happy to have acquired this Caracalla recently which now puts my sestertius count to three. I really wanted this one since it was minted in an important year for the Severan Dynasty - In 211 AD Septimius dies in early February, the brothers assume co-rule, and in late December Caracalla has Geta murdered. Definitely on my bucket list is a Geta with a long Septimius-like beard from the same year. For now I will likely just try to grow my collection by picking up the more common 2nd/3rd century emperors and empresses here and there as I like them. The very rare emperors I am likely to ignore for a while, those have to be on my long term bucket list. 2. Caracalla.jpg
    Caracalla Æ Sestertius. Rome, 211 AD. M AVREL ANTONI-NVS PIVS AVG, laureate bust of Caracalla right, drapery on left shoulder / VICT BRIT TR P XIIII COS III, Victory standing right, foot on helmet, erecting trophy consisting of helmet, cuirass, spears, shields, and greaves; towered and draped woman (Britannia?) standing facing on right; to her left, captive seated left, hands tied behind back, SC in ex. RIC 483d. 31mm, 25.18 gm.
    3. Geta.jpg
    Geta Æ Sestertius. Rome, 210 AD. IMP CAES P SEPT GETA PIVS AVG, laureate bust of Geta right, slight drapery on left shoulder / [PONTI]F TR P II COS II, Septimius Severus, Caracalla and Geta standing facing right on platform, guarded by lictor standing before platform and holding fasces, addressing two soldiers who carry standard and shield and spear and shield, head and forepart of horse between them; legionary eagle in background, SC in ex. RIC 159b. 33mm, 23.26g.
    1. Septimius Severus.jpg
    Septimius Severus, Æ Sestertius, Rome, 194 AD. L SEPT SEV PERT AVG IMP IIII, laureate and cuirassed bust of Septimius Severus right / MONET AVG COS II PP, The three Monetae standing facing, heads left, each holding scale and cornucopia, SC in ex. RIC 678d. 30mm, 24.16g.

    At some point I'll take a nice group family photo of the Severan boys.

    Please comment, post your Severan family photos and any 2nd/3rd century sestertii you're proud of. Theoretically, I kind of want to have one sestertii per emperor, and for each to have a different reverse type. Any suggestions on which reverse types you'd aim to get for each 3rd or 2nd century emperor/empress? One certainly might be an Elagabalus INVICTVS SACERDOS, especially one with the famous "horn".
     
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  3. Ancient Aussie

    Ancient Aussie Well-Known Member

    All nice coins with great eye appeal and patina's.
     
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  4. ominus1

    ominus1 Well-Known Member

    wow!..kool coins with unusual reverses...:)
     
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  5. Spaniard

    Spaniard Well-Known Member

    @Salaethus .....Great looking coins....Nice portrait on the Caracalla...
    I'm in the same boat attempting 1 per ruler plus the chicas of course.......These big bronzes are addictive!.....
    A.jpg
    ANTONINUS PIUS. 138-161 AD. Æ Sestertius (33mm, 26.75 g.)
    Struck 159/160 AD.
    Obverse..ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P XXIII, laureate head right
    Rev. PIETATI AVG COS IIII SC, Pietas standing left holding globe, Faustina Junior as Pietas standing left, between Faustina Minima, Lucilla & holding baby Fadilla.
    RIC III 1031
     
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  6. Orielensis

    Orielensis Well-Known Member

    I like all of these very much, but the Caracalla sestertius stands because of the exceptionally well preserved, historically interesting reverse. The lorica squamata detail on the Septimius Severus sestertius is fantastic, too.

    Almost all of my Severan collection is in silver, but a few stray sestertii came my way over time, too:
    Rom – Septimius Severus, sestertius, Felicitas.png
    Septimius Severus, Roman Empire, AE sestertius, 195–196 AD, Rome mint. Obv: L SEPT SE[V P]ERT AVG IMP VII; 29.5mm, bust of Septimius Severus, laureate, with drapery on l. shoulder, r. Rev: [DIVI] M PII F [P M] TR P III COS II P P; Felicitas, draped, standing l., foot on prow, holding caduceus in r, hand and cornucopiae in l. hand. 29.5mm, 20.23g. Ref: RIC IV Septimius Severus 701b.

    Rom – Severus Alexander, Sesterz, Sol.png
    Severus Alexander, Roman Empire, AE sestertius, 234 AD, Rome mint. Obv: IMP ALEXANDER PIVS AVG; bust of Severus Alexander, laureate, draped, r. Rev: P M TR P XIII COS III P P; Sol, radiate, walking l., raising r. hand and holding whip in l. hand; in fields flanking, SC. 31mm, 18.59g. Ref: RIC IV Severus Alexander 538c. Ex Leipziger Münzhandlung und Auktion (Heidrun Höhn), e-Live Auktion 12, lot 745.

    Rom – Julia Mamaea, Sesterz, Vesta (neues Foto).png
    Julia Mamaea, Roman Empire, AE sestertius, 222–235 AD, Rome mint. Obv: IVLIA MAM[AEA] AVGVSTA; bust of Julia Mamaea, diademed, draped, r. Rev: VES[T]A; Vesta, draped, standing l., holding palladium in r. hand and sceptre in l. hand. 30mm, 24.40g. Ref: RIC IV Severus Alexander 708.
     
  7. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    Gorgeous coins, @Salaethus ! Lovely patinas and well-preserved.
     
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  8. Salaethus

    Salaethus Well-Known Member

    @Spaniard Nice Pius! It's a fun collecting goal, you can build quite a diverse assembly of reverse types with emperors, gods and goddesses, animals, architecture, and so much more. Roman die cutters really made great use of all the space big bronze sestertii provide.
     
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  9. furryfrog02

    furryfrog02 Well-Known Member

    Great beginning! The Monetae is my favorite but they are all excellent coins.
     
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  10. Salaethus

    Salaethus Well-Known Member

    @Orielensis Thanks for the kind words, and nice group of sestertii! Can never get enough of these 3rd century bronzes.
     
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  11. Salaethus

    Salaethus Well-Known Member

    @furryfrog02 Thanks! It's definitely a great type for a coin collection! This is a question that I'm not sure is even worth asking, but I wonder it's possible to identify which Moneta represents which metal. If you look closely there are slight differences in their scales and cornucopia (there are additional details added on the cornucopiae from left to right). Their position might also be important, and the middle Moneta has a very distinct hair style. Just a curious thing I was pondering.
     
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  12. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    Caracalla was cuter in 196 as Caesar (Minerva reverse).
    rm6580fd0126.jpg

    Early Domna sestertii are more attractive but this one from the sole reign of Caracalla has an interesting portrait. The eye reminds me of Classical Athenian tetradrachms. Unfortunately the Vesta reverse was wrecked.
    rl6340bb0198.jpg

    I have no Plautilla sestertius to complete the set but she shares this AE38 of Stratonicaea with Caracalla. The countermark flattened the head of Zeus on the reverse.
    pm1415fd3320.jpg
     
  13. Salaethus

    Salaethus Well-Known Member

    @dougsmit That portrait of young Caracalla is just spectacular! Also nice to know Plautilla has some large bronze provincials, I've heard her imperial bronze is impossibly rare. Nice one!
     
  14. TIF

    TIF Always learning.

    Fantastic set, @Salaethus! It's very hard to pick a favorite. The Caracalla portrait is unusual. The Geta's reverse is notable and desirable. The Septimius is just good all around. Great job selecting these for your one-of-each!
     
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  15. thejewk

    thejewk Well-Known Member

    They are all great coins, but the Caracalla is my favourite. I have the VICT BRIT types by the Severans high on my list of desired types for my coins of British association collection. Your example has great eye appeal.
     
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  16. Parthicus Maximus

    Parthicus Maximus Well-Known Member

    Very nice Severans with interesting reverses.
    Here is my only bronze coin from the period.
    upload_2019-12-30_16-8-7.png
    [​IMG]
    Septimius Severus 193-211
    AE Dupondius
    Struck 195
    11,60g/24mm
    L SEPT SEV PERT AVG IMP
    Septimius severus with steel crown, looking to the right
    P M TR P III COS II P P
    naked Mars, with cloak, walking to the right. a spear in his right hand and a trophy in his left hand.
    Ric 694
     
  17. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    That is a better than usual dupondius. Few of these have all the legends and it is good to have the dating numbers and reasonable surfaces.
     
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  18. Salaethus

    Salaethus Well-Known Member

    @curtislclay I've sometimes seen this reverse (483d) described as a variant because RIC has the reverse legends with PM and PP, however all examples of 483 I've found online (described as 483 c, d, and e in various auction listings) have the same legend (no PM or PP) though they are supposed to according to RIC. Is this is a mistake in RIC? Would love to hear your thoughts on RIC 483 and this coin's attribution.
     
  19. curtislclay

    curtislclay Well-Known Member

    Your dupondius is rare, too. By 1972 I knew only 6 such coins, from 3 obv. and 3 rev. dies. Yours is from one of the same 3 obv. dies, but a new, 4th, rev. die.

    See BMC pl. 24.4-5 for the same obv. die combined with two other rev. types, ROMAE AETERNAE S C seated and SAECVLI FELICITAS S C standing.
     
  20. Salaethus

    Salaethus Well-Known Member

    Thank you @TIF for the kind words - I have probably spent hours drooling over your collection, it is so well presented and so packed full of wonderful coins, it's definitely an inspiration for me to try to build a collection a fraction as nice as yours!
     
  21. curtislclay

    curtislclay Well-Known Member

    There are two main varieties:

    Like yours, no BRIT on obv., no P M or P P on reverse, i.e. before Septimius died in Feb. 211. Misreported by RIC 483d-e as showing P M and P P on rev., which would be after Septimius' death. These sestertii are mules, because they omit BRIT on obv., but are dated to 211 (TR P XIIII), whereas the denarii show that the three emperors all assumed the title BRIT in the course of the preceding year, 210 (Caracalla TR P XIII), so all coins dated 211 should have BRIT. I think these muled sestertii of Caracalla without BRIT all come from a single obv. die, with fold of cloak on front shoulder of portrait, but from at least half a dozen rev. dies. Your coin is from the expected obv. die, as also shown by BMC pl. 49.8-9, there coupled with two different VICTORIAE BRITTANNICAE S C rev. types.

    Second variety: BRIT on obv., P M and P P on rev., correctly described by RIC 483a-b. A fairly rare coin, struck from only one rev. die (BMC pl. 66.3), if I remember correctly.
     
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