New coin - Severus Alexander denarius (about as good as it gets!)

[maridvnvm]

I have to wonder looking at the range of portraits illustrated here whether anyone has created a progression of portraits of Severus Alexander based on the progression of facial hair, from sideburns through to bearded. I know that this has been done for Geta as Augustus....

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

There's sharper examples (oodles of Sev's out there), but what makes the OP example truly special is the wonderful combination of fantastic toning, large flan, and full beading.  I haven't looked at mine in 20+ years, but while it's minty, it was brightly cleaned and just kind of another Severus.

[Qcumbor]

1 hour ago, maridvnvm said:

I have to wonder looking at the range of portraits illustrated here whether anyone has created a progression of portraits of Severus Alexander based on the progression of facial hair, from sideburns through to bearded. I know that this has been done for Geta as Augustus....

Interesting idea. I couldn't do that myself, having only two denarii of his. The one I've shown on page # 1 was minted 232 CE, while the following was struck earlier, 225 CE, showing a much more juvenile portrait :

Q

Edited April 16 by Qcumbor

[CPK]

11 hours ago, Furryfrog02 said:

Holy smokes @CPK! That is a great looking denarius! Congratulations!

My Severus Alexander examples are pretty ratty in comparison. 

Thanks! 🙂 

11 hours ago, Qcumbor said:

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

 

And, yes, decent portraits of Vespasian can be found 😉 

Q

Thank you! Those are beautiful coins - I think your Sev. Alex tops mine. 👍 And that Pupienus is exquisite!

11 hours ago, rasiel said:

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.

Now that is a lovely coin! I love Jupiter's dynamic pose, about to hurl his thunderbolt.

[DonnaML]

Some wonderful coins in this thread! I have very little to show for Severus Alexander: only a couple of denarii and a sestertius. On the second and third coins, he's clearly smiling -- not something often seen in his portraits.

Severus Alexander AR Denarius 225 AD Rome Mint. Obv. Laureate head right, IMP C M AVR SEV ALEXAND AVG. / Rev. Fides standing facing, head left, holding standard in each hand, FIDES - MIL - ITVM. RIC IV-2 139, RSC III 52, Sear RCV II 7864. 19 mm., 2.9 g.

Severus Alexander AR Denarius 232 AD Rome Mint. Obv. Laureate and draped bust right, seen from front, IMP ALEXANDER PIVS AVG/ Rev. Mars Ultor (“Mars the Avenger”) advancing right in military dress, holding transverse, spear and shield, cape flying behind, MARS VLTOR. RIC IV-2 246, RSC III 161a (ill.), Sear RCV II 7882 (ill.), BMCRE 831. 20 mm., 2.91 g.

Severus Alexander AE (Orichalcum) Sestertius, AD 232, Rome Mint. Obv. Laureate bust right with slight drapery on left shoulder, IMP SEV ALE – XANDER AVG / Rev. Victory standing right, left foot raised to rest on helmet, inscribing VOT / X in two lines on shield set on trunk of palm tree, VICTORIA AVGVSTI; S – C [Senatus Consulto] across lower fields. 33 mm., 21.95 g. RIC IV-2 616, BMCRE VI 643, Sear RCV III 8021, Cohen 567. Purchased 22 Oct. 2023 from Carthago Numismatics (Kefi Mansouri), L'Isle Adam, Ile de France, France; ex Tunisian hoard.* 

*Issued to commemorate decennial of Severus Alexander’s reign, as well as to celebrate initial victories in campaign against Sassanian Empire.

Edited April 17 by DonnaML

[Octavius]

 You've got one great looking coin with fantastic toning. You aced this one!

 

Here are two sestertii and three denarii of Severus Alexander...

[Herodotus]

Nice!

I have this variety...

SEVERUS ALEXANDER (AD 222-235). Denarius. Rome.

O: IMP SEV ALEXAND AVG. Laureate head right.

R: VIRTVS AVG. Severus Alexander (as Romulus) advancing right, holding spear and trophy.

RIC 225

 

[CPK]

9 hours ago, DonnaML said:

Some wonderful coins in this thread! I have very little to show for Severus Alexander: only a couple of denarii and a sestertius. On the second and third coins, he's clearly smiling -- not something often seen in his portraits.

Severus Alexander AR Denarius 225 AD Rome Mint. Obv. Laureate head right, IMP C M AVR SEV ALEXAND AVG. / Rev. Fides standing facing, head left, holding standard in each hand, FIDES - MIL - ITVM. RIC IV-2 139, RSC III 52, Sear RCV II 7864. 19 mm., 2.9 g.

Severus Alexander AR Denarius 232 AD Rome Mint. Obv. Laureate and draped bust right, seen from front, IMP ALEXANDER PIVS AVG/ Rev. Mars Ultor (“Mars the Avenger”) advancing right in military dress, holding transverse, spear and shield, cape flying behind, MARS VLTOR. RIC IV-2 246, RSC III 161a (ill.), Sear RCV II 7882 (ill.), BMCRE 831. 20 mm., 2.91 g.

Severus Alexander AE (Orichalcum) Sestertius, AD 232, Rome Mint. Obv. Laureate bust right with slight drapery on left shoulder, IMP SEV ALE – XANDER AVG / Rev. Victory standing right, left foot raised to rest on helmet, inscribing VOT / X in two lines on shield set on trunk of palm tree, VICTORIA AVGVSTI; S – C [Senatus Consulto] across lower fields. 33 mm., 21.95 g. RIC IV-2 616, BMCRE VI 643, Sear RCV III 8021, Cohen 567. Purchased 22 Oct. 2023 from Carthago Numismatics (Kefi Mansouri), L'Isle Adam, Ile de France, France; ex Tunisian hoard.* 

*Issued to commemorate decennial of Severus Alexander’s reign, as well as to celebrate initial victories in campaign against Sassanian Empire.

"very little to show" - perhaps quantity wise, but you are certainly not lacking for quality! That middle coin is especially fine, and again shows outstanding quality of production.

8 hours ago, Octavius said:

 You've got one great looking coin with fantastic toning. You aced this one!

 

Here are two sestertii and three denarii of Severus Alexander...

Hitting it out of the park as always Octavius! Thank you!

5 hours ago, Herodotus said:

Nice!

I have this variety...

SEVERUS ALEXANDER (AD 222-235). Denarius. Rome.

O: IMP SEV ALEXAND AVG. Laureate head right.

R: VIRTVS AVG. Severus Alexander (as Romulus) advancing right, holding spear and trophy.

RIC 225

 

Thanks! That is a great example with some really sharp detail!

[Severus Alexander]

That's a fabulous SA, @CPK!  I would add one thing to its list of virtues: the reverse style.  Not only is the detail excellent, Sol was engraved exceptionally well.

I have a bunch, of course, but mostly middle bronzes.  Of those, my avatar coin (a dupondius) is probably my favourite:

For denarii, coins that are a bit unusual always attract me.  That's why I bought this coin, which has an attractive but rarely seen portrait style:

This coin definitely goes all-in on the 'burns and the 'stache!

On 4/16/2024 at 6:57 AM, maridvnvm said:

I have to wonder looking at the range of portraits illustrated here whether anyone has created a progression of portraits of Severus Alexander based on the progression of facial hair, from sideburns through to bearded. I know that this has been done for Geta as Augustus....

Given how many of his coins are dated, yearly throughout the reign, this would be pretty straightforward, at least for the basic progression.  (Within years would be tricky and probably not consistent.)

[CPK]

1 hour ago, Severus Alexander said:

That's a fabulous SA, @CPK!  I would add one thing to its list of virtues: the reverse style.  Not only is the detail excellent, Sol was engraved exceptionally well.

I have a bunch, of course, but mostly middle bronzes.  Of those, my avatar coin (a dupondius) is probably my favourite:

For denarii, coins that are a bit unusual always attract me.  That's why I bought this coin, which has an attractive but rarely seen portrait style:

This coin definitely goes all-in on the 'burns and the 'stache!

Given how many of his coins are dated, yearly throughout the reign, this would be pretty straightforward, at least for the basic progression.  (Within years would be tricky and probably not consistent.)

Thank you!

Both of your coins are remarkable - the denarius portrait especially. I agree that Severus Alexander's sideburns must have made a deep impression on whoever engraved that die. 😄

 

[maridvnvm]

8 hours ago, Severus Alexander said:

Given how many of his coins are dated, yearly throughout the reign, this would be pretty straightforward, at least for the basic progression.  (Within years would be tricky and probably not consistent.)

I was thinking about linking this information on progressive aging and dated items to the undated coinage.

[Marsyas Mike]

Some great looking coins in this thread.  Perhaps the nicest bearded Severus Alexander I have is this denarius, which came packaged in a UK Bath souvenir cardboard holder with envelope (c. 1940s-1960s?).  I have several so packaged - all genuine ancients, some rather nice, some not. 

 

Here's another favorite of mine, a Provincial with Marsyas on the reverse: 

 

[Severus Alexander]

On 4/24/2024 at 3:10 AM, maridvnvm said:

I was thinking about linking this information on progressive aging and dated items to the undated coinage.

Yes, that’s what I figured. It does seem like this project would bear fruit. I wonder if @curtislclay has attempted it.

Having paid close attention to more SA coins than any other emperor, I have a “feel” for portrait dates, though I’m not at all sure that feel is accurate. I would love to take a shot at a basic version of the project.

FWIW, I associate the portrait type on your Mars Ultor denarius with very late in the reign, even after 232. This style is characterized by an elongated head, longer than the more rounded OP portrait type (the OP coin is dated 233). An acsearch on TR P XIIII (dating to 235) seems to support this notion. The elongated style is also found on some TR P XIII coins, but others tend more towards the OP style. Interestingly, the earlier OP style has a more prominent beard, despite its earlier date.

So I would tentatively date your coin to 234 or 235, @maridvnvm. @Qcumbor’s Providentia has this same late style:

Whereas @Salomons Cat’s Mars Ultor is intermediate between the late style and the OP style:

Edited April 25 by Severus Alexander

[Anaximander]

@CPK A lovely coin in a handsome presentation. I love your coin background. In five years of posting my coins online, I never received any comments -much less a complement- for my coin backgrounds, so my efforts have ebbed. The plan for my Roman coins, never implemented, was to use sepia-toned maps appropriate to the era of the coin, so here's my chance to do so with a denarius of Severus Alexander.  My coins are now mostly posted on a white background, though shot on 18% gray and then masked. I did try to use some unfamiliar photo editor features (selective focus, lights) to replicate your chiaroscuro and bokeh, to no avail so far.

MARS VLTOR keeps popping up in this thread. I have one too, the upgrade coin for my collection. Like Salomons Cat, I shoot for one-of-each in my collection, with some small propensity to go for a second where I can rationalize it. My first Severus Alexander is now consigned for sale. When I bought my third Severus Alexander I had to go back to my dealer and admit, shame-faced, that I already had a MARS VLTOR and didn't need yet another one.

@rasiel You are too humble by half! Your Severus Alexander is better than 'serviceable.' It has that all-important obverse portrait, perfect lettering, and good centering.

@Nerosmyfavorite68 well spotted, "fantastic toning, large flan, and full beading" makes for a true EF.

Edited April 29 by Anaximander
(1) wordsmithing... (2) Newbie alert! I just figured out the @ feature. Fixing this post...

[CPK]

21 minutes ago, Anaximander said:

@CPK: A lovely coin in a handsome presentation. I love your coin background. In five years of posting my coins online, I never received any comments -much less a complement- for my coin backgrounds, so my efforts have ebbed. The plan for my Roman coins, never implemented, was to use sepia-toned maps appropriate to the era of the coin. My coins are now mostly posted on a white background, though shot on 18% gray and then masked. I did try to use some unfamiliar photo editor features (selective focus, lights) to replicate your chiaroscuro and bokeh, to no avail so far.

MARS VLTOR keeps popping up in this thread. I have one too, the upgrade coin for my collection. Like Salomons Cat, I shoot for one-of-each in my collection, with some small propensity to go for a second where I can rationalized it. My first Severus Alexander is now consigned for sale. When I bought my third Severus Alexander I had to go back to my dealer and admit, shame-faced, that I already had a MARS VLTOR and didn't need yet another one.

@rasiel: You are too humble by half! Your Severus Alexander is better than 'serviceable.' It has that all-important obverse portrait, perfect lettering, and good centering.

@Nerosmyfavorite68: well spotted, "fantastic toning, large flan, and full beading" makes for a true EF.

Thank you for the kind words! Your photo background idea looks/sounds neat. I've often thought it would be cool to try to photograph ancient coins as they might have appeared in ancient times - in a scene with props, etc. The trick would be getting the right balance of subject/background.

Lovely coins, by the way!

[Valentinian]

Some coins of Roman Alexandria are attributed to the Rome mint:


Severus Alexander, Roman style Alexandria tetradrachm
28-25 mm. 13.89 grams. Year 5
Obverse legend: A KAI M AVP CEOVHR AΛEΞANΔPOC EVCEB 
L ΠEMΠTOY MAMEA CEB, bust of his mother Julia Mamaea right
Fifth year. Mamaea Augusta 
Sear II 8134. 

I have a web page on the unusual Alexandrian coins of "year 5" of Severus Alexander.
http://augustuscoins.com/ed/SevAlex/

I hope this thread continues with members showing Roman provincial coins of Severus Alexander. 

Edited April 26 by Valentinian

[CPK]

9 minutes ago, Valentinian said:

Some coins of Roman Alexandria are attributed to the Rome mint:


Severus Alexander, Roman style Alexandria tetradrachm
28-25 mm. 13.89 grams. Year 5
(obverse legend as above) A KAI M AVP CEOVHR AΛEΞANΔPOC EVCEB 
L ΠEMΠTOY MAMEA CEB, bust of his mother Julia Mamaea right
Fifth year. Mamaea Augusta 
Sear II 8134. 

I have a web page on the unusual Alexandrian coins of "year 5" of Severus Alexander.
http://augustuscoins.com/ed/SevAlex/

I hope this thread continues with members showing Roman provincial coins of Severus Alexander. 

That is fascinating! I had no idea that Rome issued Alexandrian coins like these. Thanks for sharing!

[kevikens]

On 4/14/2024 at 11:23 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.

- 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.

If the Roman mints ever produced "proof" coins yours is one of them.

[Qcumbor]

On 4/26/2024 at 3:12 AM, Valentinian said:

Some coins of Roman Alexandria are attributed to the Rome mint:


Severus Alexander, Roman style Alexandria tetradrachm
28-25 mm. 13.89 grams. Year 5
Obverse legend: A KAI M AVP CEOVHR AΛEΞANΔPOC EVCEB 
L ΠEMΠTOY MAMEA CEB, bust of his mother Julia Mamaea right
Fifth year. Mamaea Augusta 
Sear II 8134. 

I have a web page on the unusual Alexandrian coins of "year 5" of Severus Alexander.
http://augustuscoins.com/ed/SevAlex/

I hope this thread continues with members showing Roman provincial coins of Severus Alexander. 

I've learned that very recently, when I posted the coin below and @Valentinian pointed me to his excellent web page

Severe Alexandre ( 222 - 235) - Tétradrachme de l'atelier d'Alexandrie, AD 225-226 
A KAI M AYΡ CЄOΥΗΡ ΑΛЄΞΑΝΔΡΟC ЄΥCЄΒ, Buste lauré et drapé à droite vu par l'arrière
L ΠЄΜΠΤΟΥ (5° année de règne), Serapis debout, la tête à gauche, vetu de la Kalathos, levant la main droite et tenant dans sa main gauche un sceptre.
28 mm - 13.47gr - 12 h
Ref : Emmett # 3134/5 (R1), Kampmann # 62.70, RPC VI online # 10333 (temporary), Dattari (Savio) # 4357
Provenance : Leu webauction # 29/1523
Pour aller plus loin et en apprendre un peu plus sur ce type inhabituel (en style, en diametre, en légende), voir ici

 

Q