The chinless wonder of the ancient world (Featuring Maximinus Thrax)

His coinage is certainly amongst the most memorable of ancient Rome, if for nothing else than the gigantic chin on his busts, which kept growing throughout his reign. Had he ruled another year or two, they may have had to issue a separate coin containing his chin to accompany the one with the rest of his face.

But did you know Maximinus Thrax was once Emperor chinless? Maximinus was a peasant soldier that lucked out when Alexander Severus made the gigantic blunder of taking his mother on campaign, listening to her bad advise that he bribe Rome's enemies into appeasement, and letting everyone know this. Needless to say, it did not go well with Maximinus and the soldiers, who ended up murdering Alexander and his mother.

Naturally, it took a few weeks for Maximinus to make it all the way to Rome from the Empire's border, and during that time the poor celators had to improvise and carve coins with a bust of an Emperor who they had never seen. So they did what they knew best, took an image of Alexander Severus, aged it a few decades, and presto...you have a portrait of the new emperor. The celators couldn't have imagined their new boss had a chin with it's own zip code.

I wonder what Maximinus Thrax thought when he saw these coins. I hope the poor celators were not rewarded with a Roman whip for their efforts. After all, Maximinus Thrax was a stern man. Anyway, enough talking. You came here to see the coin. So without further delay, ladies and gentlemen meet his Imperial chinless, Maximinus Thrax.



No, not that guy, this guy! The one with the Alexander Severus imitation face and lack of chin.

 

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I like the reverse. Mine has the chin.


Maximinus (235 - 238 A.D)
AR Denarius
O: MAXIMINVS PIVS AVG GERM, Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right.
R: PAX AVGVSTI, Pax standing facing, head left, holding olive branch and transverse scepter.
20mm
3.1g
Rome
RIC 019 RSC 037

 

Both the OP and Mat's coins are very well detailed. I love them both. How about one in between:
MAXIMINUS I
AR Denarius
OBVERSE: Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
REVERSE: VICTORIAAVG - Victory advancing right, holding wreath and palm
Struck at Rome, 235-236 AD March - January
2.8g, 21mm
RIC 16, BMC 25, C 99

 

Awesome Bing, I didn't know you had my coin's brother. They are a beauty, aren't they? Definitely unique compared to your typical Maximinus coinage.

 

Well, yours has had a sheltered life in comparison to mine.

 

Roman Imperial
Maximinus I 235-238 CE
AR Denarius
Rev: Victory

A chin, but not sporting a "Leno"...

 

LOVE all the posts!!! I never realized Max Sr. was depicted so chinless before LOL

I have a sestertius of the son who shows a hint of the chin as well as the typical 'Leno' type (denarius) of the father:

 

@Mikey Zee that is a well preserved and detailed denarius.

 

Cool write-up and coin! I'm currently watching a nice one of him for sale as a matter of fact. But right now there are more important fish for me to fry!

 

Thanks @Bing ...It was one of the first I purchased back in the eighties (a well publicized hoard discovery), and along with the 'Tetrarchy' one of my first non-LRB's---still one of the best I own.

 

Amazing coin Mikey! REALLY stands out!

 

@ Sallent: I really like the comparison to Jay Leno with his prodigious chin, even though Leno is a really nice guy while Max Thrax had more in common the incredible Hulk.

Anyone ever notice how much Maximinus's wife looked like him? Yikes!
His son (Mini-Max) didn't seem to inherit the chin.

 

LOL...

 

Speaking of big chins, I think I found Maximinus in superhero form:


(younger people here will probably be more familiar with the reference )

 

Nice => that's a sweet fricken OP-example, Sallent

Thrax, eh?

 

Yeah, like my Pre-School Grandkids...

 

Now,that's a GORGEOUS example!!

 

LOL !!! I never noticed it to that extent before....Yikes is right!!! LOL

 

I think we have a probable hypothesis for why Maximinus killed Alexander. Sounds just as probable as the current accepted historical version anyway.

Fool with a soldier's wife and you get a knife in the back. Not the first Emperor to find that out...ask Caracala.

 

I'm sure evidence of this situation is more conjecture than fact but there is no reason to expect the son to inherit the disease. Perhaps we have a doctor who would like to comment on making a diagnosis based on coins???
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acromegaly