The Restoration of Peace and Prosperity

Septimius Severus AV Aureus. Rome, AD 207. SEVERVS PIVS AVG, laureate head to right / RESTITVTOR VRBIS, Roma seated to left on shield, holding palladium and sceptre. RIC IV 288; BMCRE 358; Hill 840; Calicó 2529. 6.76g, 21mm, 6h. Good Extremely Fine; lustrous metal. Rare.

Ex Roma Numismatics Ltd, Auction XIX, 26-27 October 2021, lot 830; Ex Baldwin’s Auctions Ltd - Dmitry Markov Coins & Medals - M&M Numismatics Ltd, The New York Sale XXXIV, 6 January 2015, lot 619 (hammer: USD 22,500).

Septimius Severus was credited with restoring stability to the Roman Empire after the turbulent reign of Commodus and the civil wars that erupted in the wake of the emperor’s murder. By the time this coin was struck he had enlarged the empire in the East and strengthened the southern borders through the expansion of the Limes Tripolitanus, a frontier zone of defensive forts in north Africa that secured the agricultural base of the empire against raids from the desert nomads of the Sahara.

The improved security of the empire enabled Severus to undertake restorative works in Rome itself, the theme of this reverse type. Roma, personification of Rome, is portrayed here as a direct reference to Severus’ having restored peace and prosperity to the city, which was marked in the landscape by the building of monuments such as the Triumphal Arch celebrating the successful conclusion of the war against Parthia, and the Septizodium, a building of no known practical purpose but which Ammianus Marcellinus (XV, 7, 3) is understood to have noted as ‘a popular place’, though the sentence is ambiguous.

Near Mint State; lightly toned.

Ex Numismatica Ars Classica SG, Auction 106, 9 May 2018, lot 1588; Ex Auktionshaus H. D. Rauch GmbH, Auction 84, 13 May 2009, lot 240.

706.

Struck from Dies of Wonderful Style

Caracalla AV Aureus. Rome, AD 210-213. ANTONINVS PIVS AVG BRIT, laureate head to right / PROVIDENTIAE DEORVM, Providentia standing to left, holding wand over globe and sceptre. RIC IV 227; C. 528; BMCRE 100 note; Biaggi 1213; Calicó 2801. 7.50g, 20mm, 6h. Near Mint State; small mark to rev. exergue, struck from dies of wonderful style, lustrous rev. Acquired from Classical Numismatic Group.

10,500

Attractive ‘Tiber’ Patina

Caracalla Æ Sestertius. Rome, AD 211. M AVREL ANTONINVS PIVS AVG BRIT, laureate head to right, slight drapery on far shoulder / FORT RED P M TR P XIIII COS III P P, Fortuna seated to left, holding rudder on ground and cornucopiae; wheel under seat, SC in exergue. RIC IV 479b; C. 85 var. (bust type); BMCRE 31 (Caracalla & Geta). 21.99g, 32mm, 1h.

Extremely Fine; double struck, attractive ‘Tiber’ patina.

Ex Dr. Busso Peus Nachfolger, Auction 430, 27 April 2022, lot 252; Privately acquired from cgb.fr, 2021.

Caracalla AV Aureus. Rome, AD 213. ANTONINVS PIVS FEL AVG, laureate and cuirassed bust to right / VICTORIA GERMANICA, Victory, winged and draped, advancing to right, holding wreath in extended hand and trophy over shoulder. RIC IV 237 (R2) corr. (bust type); C. 645 corr. (same); BMCRE 64; Biaggi 1223; Calicó 2833 (R2). 6.77g, 20mm, 1h.

Good Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare; rated R2 by both RIC and Calicó and only six other specimens on CoinArchives.

Ex Numismatica Ars Classica AG, Auction 97, 12 December 2016, lot 188; Ex Hess-Divo AG, Auction 327, 2014, lot 131 (hammer: CHF: 36,000).

Caracalla is infamous amongst Roman emperors for his brutality. In killing his brother Geta in AD 211 in order to attain sole rule of Rome Caracalla set the tone for a reign which was to be characterised by ruthless violence. In AD 213 the emperor launched a campaign against the Alamanni, a confederation of Germanic tribes who posed little threat, but whose defeat allowed him to claim greater military credibility. Not only was this a significant boost for Caracalla’s ‘foreign policy’ record, having gained control of the territory the tribes occupied, but it also enabled him to strengthen the frontier fortifications to withstand future invasions for decades to come. The victorious outcome, reflected in the reverse legend of this coin, resulted in Caracalla being awarded a new title ‘Germanicus Maximus’ by the Senate.

The obverse is typical of his portraiture on coinage during his sole reign, depicting himself in the likeness of a soldier with a cropped haircut and a threatening scowl. This manner of representation was by no means an innovation, having become increasingly prevalent since Trajan’s reign and employed thenceforth by subsequent emperors, all of whom were utterly dependent on the support of the army for the stability of their rule and indeed their very lives. This dependency is illustrated by the employment of the image of Victory holding a trophy, an unambiguous announcement of martial prowess, without which attribute an emperor might not remain in power for long.

In many respects Caracalla’s reign might have seemed to be progressing satisfactorily in AD 213; he had cemented the support of the legions by quadrupling their rate of pay to four denarii per day and had finally eliminated his brother and rival, Geta, along with 20,000 of his alleged sympathisers, according to modern estimates (see Varner, Mutilation and Transformation: Damnatio Memoriae and Roman Imperial Portraiture, p. 168). However his introduction of unprecedented high tax rates, consistent confiscation of Roman estates and deplorable character meant that he was in fact a figure of contempt, unpopular with the aristocracy and masses alike. Perhaps unsurprisingly, multiple attempts were made against his life before he was ultimately murdered by a disgruntled soldier as part of a plot instigated in AD 217 by the praetorian prefect Macrinus, his successor and the first emperor to hail from the equestrian class.

Fleur De Coin

Maximinus I AR Denarius. Rome, AD 236. IMP MAXIMINVS PIVS AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust to right / VOTIS DECENNALIBVS in three lines within laurel wreath. RIC IV 17; BMCRE 38; RSC 117. 3.05g, 20mm, 11h.

Fleur De Coin; an example in exceptional condition for this rare issue.

Ex Numismatica Ars Classica AG, Auction 106, 9 May 2018, lot 747. Ex Auktionshaus H. D. Rauch GmbH, Auction 84, 13 May 2009, lot 723.

1,650

Maximus, as Caesar, AR Denarius. Rome, AD 236-238. MAXIMVS CAES GERM, bare-headed and draped bust to right / PRINC IVVENTVTIS, prince standing to left, holding baton and transverse spear; two standards behind. RIC IV 3; BMCRE 211; RSC 10.

NGC graded MS 5/5 - 5/5 (#6329094-014).

Ex Numismatica Ars Classica AG, Auction 98, 12 December 2016, lot 1335; Ex Helios Numismatik, Auction 5, 25 June 2010, lot 365.

Diva Paulina (wife of Maximinus I) AR Denarius. Rome, AD 236. DIVA PAVLINA, veiled and draped bust to right / CONSECRATIO, empress raising right hand and holding sceptre in left, seated to left on peacock flying to right. RIC IV 2 (Maximinus); BMCRE 127-128 (Maximinus); RSC 2. 3.30g, 23mm, 12h.

Extremely Fine; lustrous metal.

Privately purchased from Numismatica Ars Classica AG.

Gordian II Africanus

Gordian II Africanus AR Denarius. Rome, March- April, AD 238. IMP M ANT GORDIANVS AFR AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust to right / VIRTVS AVGG, Virtus standing to left, holding inverted spear and shield. RIC IV 3; BMCRE 30; RSC 14. 2.07g, 21mm, 12h.

Good Extremely Fine; attractive light cabinet tone. Very Rare.

Ex Conti Collection;

Ex Nomos AG, Fixed Price List, Winter-Spring 2014, no. 56.

Gordian II Africanus Æ Sestertius. Rome, AD 238. IMP CAES M ANT GORDIANVS AFR AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust to right / ROMAE AETERNAE, Roma seated to left on shield, holding Victory and sceptre; SC in exergue. RIC IV 5; C. 9; BMCRE 23. 21.47g, 32mm, 12h.

About Good Very Fine. Rare.

From the private collection of an European Engineer.

714.

Balbinus AR Antoninianus. Rome, AD 238. IMP CAES D CAEL BALBINVS AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust to right / CONCORDIA AVGG, clasped hands. RIC IV 10; BMCRE 67; RSC 3. 5.17g, 23mm, 6h.

Good Extremely Fine.

Ex Numismatica Ars Classica AG, Spring Sale 2021, 10 May 2021, lot 1424.

715.

Pupienus AR Denarius. Rome, AD 238. IMP C M CLOD PVPIENVS AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust to right / P M TR P COS II P P, Felicitas standing facing, head to left, holding caduceus and sceptre. RIC IV 6; BMCRE 52; RSC 26. 3.02g.

NGC graded MS 4/5 - 3/5 (#5841490-001).

From a private UK collection.

716. 150

717.

Philip I AR Antoninianus. Rome, AD 244-247. IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust to right / AEQVITAS AVGG, Aequitas standing facing, head to left, holding scales and cornucopiae. RIC IV 27b; RSC 9. 4.35g, 23mm, 2h.

Fleur De Coin; a perfect strike, beautifully centred and with highly lustrous fields.

Ex Numismatica Ars Classica AG, Auction 84, 20 May 2015, lot 2010.

Philip II Æ Sestertius. Rome, AD 248. IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust to right / SAECVLARES AVGG, goat standing to left; SC in exergue. RIC IV 264a; C. 73. 15.60g, 27mm, 12h.

Extremely Fine.

Ex Roma Numismatics Ltd., E-Sale 88, 9 September 2021, lot 1157.

718.

Among the Finest Known

719.

Jotapian BI Antoninianus. Nicopolis Seleuciae, AD 248-249. IM C M F R IOTAPIANVS [AV](?) (sic), radiate and cuirassed bust to right / VICTORIA AVG, Victory advancing to left, holding wreath and palm. RIC IV 2a-c var. (obv. legend); Bland 7; RSC 1b var. (same). 4.33g, 21mm, 12h.

Extremely Fine; typical rough surfaces, a remarkably well-preserved portrait for the issue. Extremely Rare; and undoubtedly among the very finest known coins of the usurper.

Ex Numismatica Ars Classica AG, Auction 125, 23 June 2021, lot 755 (hammer: CHF 13,000).

6,000

Jotapian, a member of the near-eastern indigenous aristocracy who claimed descent from an Alexander (possibly either Severus Alexander, or Antiochos I of Commagene, who himself claimed Alexander the Great as an ancestor), led a rebellion against Philip I centred around Syria in response to an increase in taxation ordered by the rector orientis Priscus, Philip’s brother. Jotapian made Antioch his capital, but the rebellion quickly came to an end when Jotapian was killed by his own soldiers.

The Usurper Jotapian

Jotapian AR Antoninianus. Nicopolis Seleuciae, AD 248-249. IMP M F RV IO[T]APIANVS, radiate and cuirassed bust to right / VICTORIA AVGV, Victory advancing to left, holding wreath and palm. RIC IV 2b var. (obv. legend); Bland - (dies I/– [unlisted rev. die]); RSC 2; Hirsch 300, 165 (same dies); Triton XVI, 1123 (same dies). 5.05g, 21mm, 12h.

Good Very Fine; rough surfaces. Extremely Rare.

3,000

720.

Jotapian BI Antoninianus. Nicopolis Seleuciae, AD 248-249. [IMP C M F] R IOTAPIANV[S AVG], radiate and cuirassed bust to right / [VICTOR] IA AVG, Victory advancing to left, holding wreath and palm. RIC IV 2 var. (obv. legend); RSC 2 var. (same); CNG E-516, 525 (same obv. die). 3.35g, 23mm, 6h.

Near Very Fine. Extremely Rare.

From a private UK collection.

900

Trajan Decius AV Aureus. Rome, AD 249-251. IMP C M Q TRAIANVS DECIVS AVG, laureate and cuirassed bust to right / PANNONIAE, the two Pannoniae standing facing, veiled and draped, their heads turned to left and right looking away from each other, each holding standard pointed outwards. RIC IV 21a var. (bust type); C. 85; Calicó 3295. 3.94g, 20mm, 6h.

Extremely Fine; minor surface flaw on cheek.

Ex Roma Numismatics Ltd., Auction XXII, 7 October 2021, lot 840;

Ex Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co. KG, Auction 341, 1 October 2020, lot 6026.

Trajan Decius was acclaimed emperor by his troops while campaigning in Moesia and Pannonia on behalf of Philip I ‘the Arab’. He had been sent to quell the revolt of the usurper Pacatian, who had been proclaimed emperor himself by his troops but was, ultimately, also killed by them before the intervention of Decius. According to Zosimus, Decius was apparently reluctant and unwilling to take power. However, having taken the purple, Philip advanced against Decius and the two met in battle near Verona, in which Philip was routed and killed. Subsequently, Decius’ accession was recognised by the Senate, who conferred on him the name Traianus in reference to his predecessor Trajan, the optimus princeps (‘best ruler’) of the Roman Empire. Taking the name of Trajan was more than simple vainglory - in the first Dacian War of AD 101-102 Trajan had reduced the Danube region to the status of a client kingdom, later absorbing it into the empire after the second Dacian War in 105-106. The new emperor, who hailed from the very same region, was seen to have already quelled a revolt in the troubled frontier area, and it was hoped he would restore the strength of the State.