CPK Posted April 15 · Supporter Share Posted April 15 Denarii of Severus Alexander are not hard to find in excellent condition, but even so this one struck me as something special. - crisply and evenly struck on a wide flan of good quality metal, allowing full dotted borders on both sides - very heavy, too, at nearly 4 (!) grams in weight - a very fine, high-relief portrait - the reverse is sharp as well (look at the detail in Sol's face!) with lustrous fields - and to top it off, the coin is beautifully toned, highlighting the design and relief. It may not command much attention among the EF aureii in a high-profile auction, but it's about as good as you'll get IMO! 😉 Thanks for looking, and feel free to post your own quality favorites, coins of Severus Alexander, or anything else! SEVERUS ALEXANDER, AD 222-235 AR Denarius (20.28mm, 3.95g, 6h) Struck AD 233. Rome mint Obverse: IMP ALEXANDER PIVS AVG, laureate and draped bust of Severus Alexander right Reverse: P M TR P XII COS III P P, Sol, radiate with cloak over left shoulder, advancing left, holding whip in left hand and raising right hand References: RIC IV 120, RCV 7915 A superb specimen, with lovely old cabinet toning, sharply struck on a broad and heavy flan. 35 2 3 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roman Collector Posted April 15 · Patron Share Posted April 15 That's a gorgeous example!! Heavy one, too! Here's one from my numophylacium. Severus Alexander, AD 222-235. Roman AR denarius, 2.95 g, 19.4 mm, 1 h. Rome, issue 12, AD 231. Obv: IMP SEV ALEXAND AVG, laureate head, right, with drapery on left shoulder. Rev: ANNONA AVG, Annona standing left, holding corn-ears in right hand over modius at feet and holding anchor in left hand. Refs: RIC 188; BMCRE 674-76; RSC 29a; RCV 7859. 21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maridvnvm Posted April 15 · Member Share Posted April 15 My first ancient was a Severus Alexander. Here it is.... Severus Alexander denarius Obv:– IMP ALEXANDER PIVS AVG, Laureate head right Rev:– MARS VLTOR, Mars advancing right, holding a spear and shield Minted in Rome, A.D. 232 References:– RIC 246, RSC 161a This was my first ancient coin and is still one of my favourites. Grey tone. 3.64gms. 19.91mm. 180 degrees 17 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Atherton Posted April 15 · Member Share Posted April 15 7 hours ago, CPK said: Denarii of Severus Alexander are not hard to find in excellent condition, but even so this one struck me as something special. - crisply and evenly struck on a wide flan of good quality metal, allowing full dotted borders on both sides - very heavy, too, at nearly 4 (!) grams in weight - a very fine, high-relief portrait - the reverse is sharp as well (look at the detail in Sol's face!) with lustrous fields - and to top it off, the coin is beautifully toned, highlighting the design and relief. It may not command much attention among the EF aureii in a high-profile auction, but it's about as good as you'll get IMO! 😉 Thanks for looking, and feel free to post your own quality favorites, coins of Severus Alexander, or anything else! SEVERUS ALEXANDER, AD 222-235 AR Denarius (20.28mm, 3.95g, 6h) Struck AD 233. Rome mint Obverse: IMP ALEXANDER PIVS AVG, laureate and draped bust of Severus Alexander right Reverse: P M TR P XII COS III P P, Sol, radiate with cloak over left shoulder, advancing left, holding whip in left hand and raising right hand References: RIC IV 120, RCV 7915 A superb specimen, with lovely old cabinet toning, sharply struck on a broad and heavy flan. Beautiful denarius! They don't come much better than that! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPK Posted April 15 · Supporter Author Share Posted April 15 6 hours ago, Roman Collector said: That's a gorgeous example!! Heavy one, too! Here's one from my numophylacium. Severus Alexander, AD 222-235. Roman AR denarius, 2.95 g, 19.4 mm, 1 h. Rome, issue 12, AD 231. Obv: IMP SEV ALEXAND AVG, laureate head, right, with drapery on left shoulder. Rev: ANNONA AVG, Annona standing left, holding corn-ears in right hand over modius at feet and holding anchor in left hand. Refs: RIC 188; BMCRE 674-76; RSC 29a; RCV 7859. Thanks! A like that Annona. 1 hour ago, maridvnvm said: My first ancient was a Severus Alexander. Here it is.... Severus Alexander denarius Obv:– IMP ALEXANDER PIVS AVG, Laureate head right Rev:– MARS VLTOR, Mars advancing right, holding a spear and shield Minted in Rome, A.D. 232 References:– RIC 246, RSC 161a This was my first ancient coin and is still one of my favourites. Grey tone. 3.64gms. 19.91mm. 180 degrees That's a beautiful coin! What a great first anicent. 😉 Incredible detail on Mars, and it's also a nice full weight! 15 minutes ago, David Atherton said: Beautiful denarius! They don't come much better than that! Thank you! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nerosmyfavorite68 Posted April 15 · Member Share Posted April 15 It is a lovely example and the toning helps make it even more so. I think I bought a 'mint state' one from HJB, back in 1997, but that section isn't photographed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seth77 Posted April 15 · Member Share Posted April 15 Hi @CPK how do you do these very aesthetic backgrounds for your pics? 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salomons Cat Posted April 15 · Member Share Posted April 15 (edited) Beautiful coin with nice toning and nice facial details of Sol, @CPK. And full dotted borders on both sides is always great 🙂 I think that it fits very well into your collection. I have a special 1-of-each-emperor-collection, where I sometimes buy more than one coin per emperor... Severus Alexander is such a case. There are so many nice denarii of him that it would be difficult to decide for a single coin. Severus Alexander, 226 AD. 18mm, 2.86g. Rev: ANNONA AVG, Annona standing left holding cornucopiae and grain ear over modius. Ex Andy Barrett, 08.02.2003, for £39. RIC 133 Severus Alexander, 231-235 AD. Rev: IOVIS PROPVGNATOR. Jupiter standing right, hurling thunderbolt. RIC 240. Severus Alexander, 232 AD. 21mm, 3.14g. Rev: MARS VLTOR, Mars advancing right holding spear and shield. RIC 246 Edited April 15 by Salomons Cat 15 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valentinian Posted April 15 · Member Share Posted April 15 (edited) On 4/14/2024 at 8:23 PM, CPK said: Denarii of Severus Alexander are not hard to find in excellent condition, but even so this one struck me as something special. It's a beauty! Readers, has it occurred to you that Roman coins of Severus Alexander and especially Maximinus Thrax are among the highest-quality Roman coins? Almost every Maximinus coin is well struck. My website on them shows some nice coins: http://augustuscoins.com/ed/Maximinus/Maximinus.html but the point is that coins of Maximinus are almost all nice. When it comes to Severus Alexander, the many coins shown earlier in this thread show his coins are often high-quality without being very expensive. I can add a couple of my own: 20-19 mm. 3.64 grams. Struck 232 according to BMC MARS VLTOR RIC 246. Sear II 7882. 20 mm. Struck 232 according to BMC. SPES PVBLICA RIC 254d. Sear II 7927 19 mm. VICTORIA AVG. An early issue, struck 222 (his first year) at Antioch. RIC 215. Sear II 7930. The point is not that Severus Alexander and Maximinus have some well-produced coins. It is that they have many well-produced coins. The fraction of their silver coins which are well-produced is high--higher than for other, more famous, emperors. Edited April 17 by Valentinian has -> have 11 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jims,Coins Posted April 15 · Member Share Posted April 15 Silver Coin (AR Denarius) minted during the reign of SEVERUS ALEXANDER between 222 - 228 A.D. Obv. IMP.C.M.AVR.SEV.ALEXAND.AVG.: laur. bust r., draped. Rev. VICTORIA.AVG.: Victory running l., holding wreath and palm. RSCIII #564. RICIV #180. 11 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAZ Numismatics Posted April 15 · Member Share Posted April 15 (edited) By the time of Severus Alexander, the denarii had a significant amount of copper in the alloy, but nowhere near enough to be considered billon, The unintended effect of this debasement was a strong coining alloy that resisted circulation wear. Hence you find many silver coins of this period in higher grades than earlier coins where the fineness was higher, say the denarii of the Flavian Dynasty. (It's exactly the reason US silver coins were produced .900 fine - that 10% copper makes them much tougher.) Edited April 15 by JAZ Numismatics 7 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benefactor Ancient Coin Hunter Posted April 15 · Benefactor Benefactor Share Posted April 15 (edited) Here's a Max Thrax to illustrate JAZ' point, obverse is in good shape with a well-centered strike. By the time of Decius and Gallus (and especially Valerian/Gallienus) the silver content approached billon and eventually was reduced to the silver washed disks of the latter third century, and hence the decline of the sestertius which could no longer be justified as a denomination. (Alexander Severus coin shown). It was Gallienus who doubled down on debasement and eliminated the sestertius though he had struck them earlier in his reign. Sometimes I think that the revolt of Macrianus and Quietus after Valerian was captured and absconded, we are told, with the Imperial treasury in bullion could have led to this decision. Edited April 16 by Ancient Coin Hunter 10 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benefactor robinjojo Posted April 15 · Benefactor Benefactor Share Posted April 15 Excellent coins posted! Among the very few denarii that I have, this is arguably the best in overall quality: Trajan, AR denarius, 107-8 AD. DΛNVVIVS reverse. RIC II 100 3.57 grams 9 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Conduitt Posted April 15 · Supporter Share Posted April 15 Severus Alexander always seems like a relief after the drama of Elagabalus and Caracalla. Severus Alexander Denarius, 228 Rome. Silver, 18mm, 2.45g. Laureate, draped bust right; IMP SEV ALEXAND AVG. Perpetuitas standing left, leaning on column, legs crossed, holding globe and sceptre; PERPETVITATI AVG (RIC 208). Found in Yorkshire. 12 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amarmur Posted April 15 · Member Share Posted April 15 (edited) 18 hours ago, CPK said: Denarii of Severus Alexander are not hard to find in excellent condition, but even so this one struck me as something special. - crisply and evenly struck on a wide flan of good quality metal, allowing full dotted borders on both sides - very heavy, too, at nearly 4 (!) grams in weight - a very fine, high-relief portrait - the reverse is sharp as well (look at the detail in Sol's face!) with lustrous fields - and to top it off, the coin is beautifully toned, highlighting the design and relief. It may not command much attention among the EF aureii in a high-profile auction, but it's about as good as you'll get IMO! 😉 Thanks for looking, and feel free to post your own quality favorites, coins of Severus Alexander, or anything else! SEVERUS ALEXANDER, AD 222-235 AR Denarius (20.28mm, 3.95g, 6h) Struck AD 233. Rome mint Obverse: IMP ALEXANDER PIVS AVG, laureate and draped bust of Severus Alexander right Reverse: P M TR P XII COS III P P, Sol, radiate with cloak over left shoulder, advancing left, holding whip in left hand and raising right hand References: RIC IV 120, RCV 7915 A superb specimen, with lovely old cabinet toning, sharply struck on a broad and heavy flan. Very nice Severus Alexander. The engravers at this time period were really top notch I noticed. The Severans have really great portrait quality vs the Flavian Dynasty which was all other the place. I still can't find a decent portrait of Vespasian on a denarius. Idk if it's the high silver content or they were too mad about taxes to make Vespasian look less constipated. Edited April 15 by Amarmur Add pics 12 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPK Posted April 15 · Supporter Author Share Posted April 15 Thank you everyone! Lots of beautiful coins posted here! 🤩 7 hours ago, seth77 said: Hi @CPK how do you do these very aesthetic backgrounds for your pics? I do all of my editing using GIMP - a free image editing program. Basically, I cut the coin out of the original photo and paste it onto a different background. I've not found a satisfactory way to do this automatically so it takes a bit of time carefully tracing around the edge, but it works for me. It takes a little time to get familiarized with using GIMP, but IMO it's worth it for those who don't want to spend $$$ on other programs like Photoshop. 4 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPK Posted April 15 · Supporter Author Share Posted April 15 1 hour ago, Amarmur said: Very nice Severus Alexander. The engravers at this time period were really top notch I noticed. The Severans have really great portrait quality vs the Flavian Dynasty which was all other the place. I still can't find a decent portrait of Vespasian on a denarius. Idk if it's the high silver content or they were too mad about taxes to make Vespasian look less constipated. I don't know, to me it would hardly be Vespasian without that constipated look! 😆 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benefactor Ancient Coin Hunter Posted April 15 · Benefactor Benefactor Share Posted April 15 The Vespasian look was sort of typical for the family, both Titus and Domitian clearly are his sons. The celators were focused on accuracy and not looks, per se. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPK Posted April 16 · Supporter Author Share Posted April 16 8 hours ago, Valentinian said: It's a beauty! Readers, has it occurred to you that Roman coins of Severus Alexander and especially Maximinus Thrax are among the highest-quality Roman coins? Almost every Maximinus coin is well struck. My website on them shows some nice coins: http://augustuscoins.com/ed/Maximinus/Maximinus.html but the point is that coins of Maximinus are almost all nice. When it comes to Severus Alexander, the many coins shown earlier in this thread show his coins are often high-quality without being very expensive. I can add a couple of my own: 20-19 mm. 3.64 grams. Struck 232 according to BMC MARS VLTOR RIC 246. Sear II 7882. 20 mm. Struck 232 according to BMC. SPES PVBLICA RIC 254d. Sear II 7927 19 mm. VICTORIA AVG. An early issue, struck 222 (his first year) at Antioch. RIC 215. Sear II 7930. The point is not that Severus Alexander and Maximinus has some well-produced coins. It is that they have many well-produced coins. The fraction of their silver coins which are well-produced is high--higher than for other, more famous, emperors. That is an interesting observation. What @JAZ Numismatics says about the alloy being more wear resistant is doubtless part of it, but I think it goes beyond that. As you say, it's not just the wear, but the overall quality of production. Compare that to the sort of dumpy, ragged flans that are so typical with, say, Marcus Aurelius or Commodus's coinage, and it really is remarkable. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shea19 Posted April 16 · Supporter Share Posted April 16 That’s a beauty @CPK! This one is my favorite Sev. Alexander portrait. Severus Alexander, AR Denarius, 232 A.D., Rome, (19 mm, 3.29 g), IMP ALEXANDER PIVS AVG Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Severus Alexander to right./ Rev. SPES PVBLICA Spes advancing left, holding flower in her right hand and raising skirt with her left. RIC 254 10 1 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seth77 Posted April 16 · Member Share Posted April 16 7 hours ago, CPK said: Thank you everyone! Lots of beautiful coins posted here! 🤩 I do all of my editing using GIMP - a free image editing program. Basically, I cut the coin out of the original photo and paste it onto a different background. I've not found a satisfactory way to do this automatically so it takes a bit of time carefully tracing around the edge, but it works for me. It takes a little time to get familiarized with using GIMP, but IMO it's worth it for those who don't want to spend $$$ on other programs like Photoshop. I wonder if it wouldn't work easier getting rid of the original background with the likes of removebg and then pasting the new transparency image onto the new background? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPK Posted April 16 · Supporter Author Share Posted April 16 4 hours ago, seth77 said: I wonder if it wouldn't work easier getting rid of the original background with the likes of removebg and then pasting the new transparency image onto the new background? Perhaps. I did try an online background remover, and Paint 3D has a tool they call "magic select" which is the same thing. It worked, but sometimes it would trim the coin a bit too much, or not enough. I found I can do a better job manually, even though it takes more time. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furryfrog02 Posted April 16 · Supporter Share Posted April 16 Holy smokes @CPK! That is a great looking denarius! Congratulations! My Severus Alexander examples are pretty ratty in comparison. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qcumbor Posted April 16 · Supporter Share Posted April 16 Excellent example @CPK, and others as well A favorite Sev-Al of mine As stated above, the second quarter of the third century was a kind of golden age for celators. Here are some other examples 13 hours ago, Amarmur said: I still can't find a decent portrait of Vespasian on a denarius. And, yes, decent portraits of Vespasian can be found 😉 Q 13 1 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rasiel Posted April 16 · Member Share Posted April 16 (edited) Nice to see so many high end Severans. Also nice to see OP treating himself to a top coin 😉 Here's mine, not the best but serviceable. Edited April 16 by rasiel 16 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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