Log in or Sign up
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Ancient Coins
>
WORN FASCINATING RARE CARACALLA AS AUGUSTUS SESTERTIUS
>
Reply to Thread
Message:
<p>[QUOTE="Blake Davis, post: 7666062, member: 91820"]I have read that in the 19th century collectors were much more interested in rarity (as opposed to condition) than today - it could be that most ancient coins were not available in higher grades in an era before the metal detector and organized hoards of diggers (sorry for the pun). Or it could be that history was more important and a coin that had historical value would be prized much higher than a more common coin in splendid condition.</p><p><br /></p><p>My area of interest is Severan sestertii. One of the interesting aspects of this area is the rarity of coins from the period approximately 199/200AD to 207/208AD when the Rome mint ceased production of sestertii in all but small quantities, perhaps for special celebrations. Some types are only known by a handful or even a single specimen. The provinces supplied the bronze coins for the empire. In fact, despite searching for a number of years for sestertii from this era I have only a single sestertii of Septimius Severus, the Di Patrii type which I have posted on this site and a single example of Geta, also posted. [ATTACH=full]1317416[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1317417[/ATTACH] Caracalla as Augustus Sestertius RECTOR ORBIS 34mm 22.51 grams, ANTONINUS AUGUSTUS/RECTOR ORBIS RIC 410</p><p><br /></p><p>And until a few days ago, I did not have any of Caracalla.</p><p><br /></p><p>The reverse of the above coin roughly translates as "Leader of the World," an irony given the youth of the newly minted emperor. The coin would likely have been struck soon after (??) Septimius Severus elevated his ten year old son Caracalla to Augustus in January 28, 198. This would have been shortly after Septimius's seasoned legions bested Clodius Albinus in 197AD. Septimius' prior appointment of Caracalla as Caesar and forthcoming elevation of other son Geta a few years later echoed Vespasian's famous statement that either his sons would succeed him or no one</p><p><br /></p><p>I apologize that time is too short to put in a full description of the historical events that gave rise to this coin. I would urge readers to check into it - the happenings of the time period from 193AD to Caracalla's assassination in 217AD are fascinating.</p><p><br /></p><p>This bust type of the above coin is among my favorite in the imperial series - this type is readily available as a denarius and high grade examples are relatively inexpensive. That is unfortunately not true for sestertii of this type - despite a diligent search, there is only one other RECTOR ORBIS sestertius known to me - in the British Museum, also a worn example.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aside from my coin, of the three types of sestertii of Caracalla from 199-201AD I have only seen one other, an unlisted Miner Victrix which was sold on German ebay a few years ago. That coin still haunts me. I do not believe I have ever seen an example of the third type, although I have not done much of a search.</p><p><br /></p><p>The above coin is a die match to the BM example, and purportedly shows the face of Caracalla on the reverse figure. The two existing examples are not clear enough to confirm this. The coin is very nearly medallic, which supports the notion that it was struck in limited quantities. And yes, the coin is worn, but to me it is beautiful . Yes, I would have loved to buy the same type in a top grade but it is only the fact that it is worn that made it affordable, and it still took over seven months of begging and borrowing to raise the purchase price!</p><p><br /></p><p>I much hope that those who have studied coins from this period, such as Mr. Clay and Mr. Smith, will be able to provide more information on the coin and the circumstances under which it was struck. The BM example came to the museum though a gift in 1927 - since then not a single other example has been found, to my knowledge. But then again, it is the nature of this hobby that dozens of examples could come to market tomorrow - all it takes is one hoard. Or possible there are several others in existing collections. I would of course welcome it if other examples are found - anything that brings more knowledge of the type and period in which it was struck is good news indeed. Right now my knowledge of the coin is very limited - I do not know its pedigree, I do not know if there are other die examples - what I have put down here is it.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Blake Davis, post: 7666062, member: 91820"]I have read that in the 19th century collectors were much more interested in rarity (as opposed to condition) than today - it could be that most ancient coins were not available in higher grades in an era before the metal detector and organized hoards of diggers (sorry for the pun). Or it could be that history was more important and a coin that had historical value would be prized much higher than a more common coin in splendid condition. My area of interest is Severan sestertii. One of the interesting aspects of this area is the rarity of coins from the period approximately 199/200AD to 207/208AD when the Rome mint ceased production of sestertii in all but small quantities, perhaps for special celebrations. Some types are only known by a handful or even a single specimen. The provinces supplied the bronze coins for the empire. In fact, despite searching for a number of years for sestertii from this era I have only a single sestertii of Septimius Severus, the Di Patrii type which I have posted on this site and a single example of Geta, also posted. [ATTACH=full]1317416[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1317417[/ATTACH] Caracalla as Augustus Sestertius RECTOR ORBIS 34mm 22.51 grams, ANTONINUS AUGUSTUS/RECTOR ORBIS RIC 410 And until a few days ago, I did not have any of Caracalla. The reverse of the above coin roughly translates as "Leader of the World," an irony given the youth of the newly minted emperor. The coin would likely have been struck soon after (??) Septimius Severus elevated his ten year old son Caracalla to Augustus in January 28, 198. This would have been shortly after Septimius's seasoned legions bested Clodius Albinus in 197AD. Septimius' prior appointment of Caracalla as Caesar and forthcoming elevation of other son Geta a few years later echoed Vespasian's famous statement that either his sons would succeed him or no one I apologize that time is too short to put in a full description of the historical events that gave rise to this coin. I would urge readers to check into it - the happenings of the time period from 193AD to Caracalla's assassination in 217AD are fascinating. This bust type of the above coin is among my favorite in the imperial series - this type is readily available as a denarius and high grade examples are relatively inexpensive. That is unfortunately not true for sestertii of this type - despite a diligent search, there is only one other RECTOR ORBIS sestertius known to me - in the British Museum, also a worn example. Aside from my coin, of the three types of sestertii of Caracalla from 199-201AD I have only seen one other, an unlisted Miner Victrix which was sold on German ebay a few years ago. That coin still haunts me. I do not believe I have ever seen an example of the third type, although I have not done much of a search. The above coin is a die match to the BM example, and purportedly shows the face of Caracalla on the reverse figure. The two existing examples are not clear enough to confirm this. The coin is very nearly medallic, which supports the notion that it was struck in limited quantities. And yes, the coin is worn, but to me it is beautiful . Yes, I would have loved to buy the same type in a top grade but it is only the fact that it is worn that made it affordable, and it still took over seven months of begging and borrowing to raise the purchase price! I much hope that those who have studied coins from this period, such as Mr. Clay and Mr. Smith, will be able to provide more information on the coin and the circumstances under which it was struck. The BM example came to the museum though a gift in 1927 - since then not a single other example has been found, to my knowledge. But then again, it is the nature of this hobby that dozens of examples could come to market tomorrow - all it takes is one hoard. Or possible there are several others in existing collections. I would of course welcome it if other examples are found - anything that brings more knowledge of the type and period in which it was struck is good news indeed. Right now my knowledge of the coin is very limited - I do not know its pedigree, I do not know if there are other die examples - what I have put down here is it.[/QUOTE]
Your name or email address:
Do you already have an account?
No, create an account now.
Yes, my password is:
Forgot your password?
Stay logged in
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Ancient Coins
>
WORN FASCINATING RARE CARACALLA AS AUGUSTUS SESTERTIUS
>
Home
Home
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Activity
Recent Posts
Forums
Forums
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Posts
Competitions
Competitions
Quick Links
Competition Index
Rules, Terms & Conditions
Gallery
Gallery
Quick Links
Search Media
New Media
Showcase
Showcase
Quick Links
Search Items
Most Active Members
New Items
Directory
Directory
Quick Links
Directory Home
New Listings
Members
Members
Quick Links
Notable Members
Current Visitors
Recent Activity
New Profile Posts
Sponsors
Menu
Search
Search titles only
Posted by Member:
Separate names with a comma.
Newer Than:
Search this thread only
Search this forum only
Display results as threads
Useful Searches
Recent Posts
More...