THE COIN THE SHOULD NOT BE - UNLISTED IMP VII PROFECTIO OF SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS

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Septimius' sestertii from the first two years are common. Then they decided that there were enough coins in circulation so there were few made in the middle of the reign. At the end, we start seeing more again. This is like US half dollars. They make them when they need them but demand outranks some idea that a certain number is necessary every year.

 

This RESTITVOR VRBIS as from 200-201 is listed in RIC as rare. I wonder if it was intended for some special use (donative, gift???) but was dumped into regular circulation due to the misstruck reverse.

 

I don't think that's how it works Doug. A modern mint may keep thousands of tons in mint warehouses until some future date when it's needed but this isn't a luxury ancient civs had. Copper and precious metals that were mined or recovered as loot would have gone to the melting point straightaway and coined because it was more valuable that way.

Minting coins was the most reliably profitable operation the Roman authorities ever had. The comparative rarity of the bronzes during this period was almost certainly due to scarcity of ore. All of these metals would always have been available as commodities that were traded publicly but the only time the treasury could have coined it at markup is if they controlled the source.

Rasiel

 

Blake,

I see your coin as being from the same obv. die as BMC 603, but a different rev. die, a new die combination to the material included in my 1972 master's thesis on the Severan coinage of 193-8.

The PROFECTIO AVG type was introduced in spring 197 to commemorate Septimius' departure on his second Parthian expedition, after he defeated Albinus in Feb. 196 and returned to Rome that summer. The traditional date Feb. 197 for Albinus' defeat is an old error, as I was able to prove in my thesis. You can find a detailed summary of my arguments on Forum Ancient Coins, search Battle of Lugdunum.

Septimius' sestertii were fairly common from 193 to late in 196, but from then until early in 198, their volume was substantially reduced, to about 1/3 of the previous level. The PROFECTIO type falls into the period of reduced volume for sestertius production; I found only five sestertius rev. dies for the type. Early in 198 the volume of sestertius production was cut back even more drastically, to a mere dribble, not to be revived until 210.

How can I access your article on your IMP X sestertius? I don't find any reference to articles on the CoinTalk homepage. Search Forum Ancient Coins for Septimius IMP X sestertii for my own article on these coins, written on the occasion of my completion of the set of all known sestertius rev. types with that date, though a couple of other types can be hypothesized as also having been struck, so are possibly still awaiting discovery.

 

Here they are Curtis

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=107372.0

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=102726.0

 

I gave asked the operator of the site for permission to edit this since tgeconclusions are incorrect. No response at all thus far.

 

Sorry no response Blake. I didn't get the email for some reason. What's the record and change you need?

 

I posted an article called, "the coin that should not be - a sestertius of Septimius Severus" - that is not the act title but it is close - it is the last article I posted.

There are some significant erroneous conclusions in the article that I discovered when I found a die match of my coin and found it was not unlisted -in fact it was not what I assumed it was. ( I thought it was IMP VII but it is actually IMP VIII - the difference is important)

I would like to be able to make some edits to the title and content - I do not want anyone to rely on the statements in the article since they are based on an erroneous assumption. The coin still has some significance but not in the way I assert. Thanks! Blake

 

Doug,

There is a good chance that your Septimius RESTITVTOR VRBIS As was struck for distribution as a New Year's present on 1 Jan. 200 or 201.

The imperial titles on Antonine medallions show that virtually all bronze medallions were struck at the very beginning of each tribunician year, but dated ahead to record the emperor's new consulship of 1 Jan. whenever he was accorded that honor, so apparently intended to be distributed as New Year's gifts. We know that coins, particularly asses, were a traditional Roman New Year's gift.

The RESTITVTOR VRBIS type occurs on a unique bronze medallion, Toynbee pl. XVII.7. Very probably a New Year's gift, since virtually all Roman bronze medallions were apparently struck for that occasion.

Asses were the second denomination regularly produced each year for distribution as New Year's gifts alongside the bronze medallions. Sometimes these New Year's asses were made fancier than ordinary asses by more elaborate types, finer style, or special flans, e.g. oversize or bimetallic. Your RESTITVTOR VRBIS type was made fancier by the addition of Roma seated to the standard Emperor sacrificing type. A specimen of this As in the Hunt Collection was struck on a broad flan weighing 17.29g (Sotheby NY, 21 Jan. 1990, lot 763).

What does your specimen weigh? Would you be able to send me a plaster cast of it?

 

10.84g
I have not made any plaster casts since the last I sent you. That must be 20 years ago. I'll see if I can remember how.

 

I'd appreciate it!

For instructions, see my thread Making Plaster Casts of Coins on Forum, made sticky under Coin Photography.

 

Curtis - you had actually commented on the IMP X article I wrote - it was the one on the Victory IMP X type. The link is here:

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/an-unlisted-sestertius-of-septimius-severus.311940/#post-3038469

I have been diligently scouring the listings - which the internet greatly assists - for other examples and have found only one - the Genius type which was mentioned in the comments, on VCOINS. Perhaps other examples have turned up?

It has been said that the sestertii of Septimius Severus are scarce but I am not sure that is not so much true as it is that his sestertii in higher grades are extremely difficult to find. And I have noticed that Septimius' sestertii seem to be almost common among a few types with everything else pretty tough to find.

I also read that the reason for the present day scarcity of his coins is that many had come from the area in and around Syria, which is now undergoing a civil war. Again, I have no idea if this is true.

For some reason I have also found that every time I take a closer look at Septimius Severus' sestertii I discover something new - and it is usually something not mentioned in RIC , like the unusual bust type on the coin with the Anonna reverse that I wrote about.

Also thanks for writing so many fascinating pieces on Severan coins. It is great to have these in an area - the coins, the history, all of it - which has become something of an obsession. Blake Davis

 

This is a wonderful coin - I have seen only one other example, which was for sale a few years ago, before I became ultra interested in his coins. I have yet to find a coins of Septimius with this inscription. This one goes into the loose leaf binder I keep on his coins.

 

magnificent coin! - I suspect that the mint workers were moving so fast that they just tossed in the bad with the good but who knows?

 

I finally saw this - I just wanted to correct some errors in the article

The premise of the article is incorrect - I am convinced that the coin is IMP VIII not IMP VII with the "I" worn away or brushed away through harsh cleaning. I just want to make that point up front - the responses do not address that issue so they would still be relevant -

 

Here is a coin that should not be - a Caracalla sestertius RIC 527, with the people on the platform at right instead of at left - hopefully the link works, if not it is item no.
324401919779

CARACALLA AE SESTERTIUS SESTERCE COIN ROMAN VERY RARE | eBay

I have an example but the people on the platform face left as in RIC and every other example I have seen - I will try to post it tonight

 

Blake,

I think the people face left here too, confirmed by the recipient climbing a ladder on the left, but the coin is badly tooled, possibly starting from a cast of a genuine example.