| Heritage World Coin Auctions > NYINC Signature Sale 3113 | Auction date: 8 January 2024 |
| Lot number: 31054 Price realized: 34,000 USD (Approx. 30,994 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | Show similar lots on CoinArchives Find similar lots in upcoming auctions on  |
| Lot description: Ancients Septimius Severus (AD 193-211). AV aureus (20mm, 7.32 gm, 12h). NGC MS★ 5/5 - 4/5. Rome, AD 200-201. SEVERVS AVG-PART MAX, laureate bust of Septimius Severus right, with aegis visible on chest / S•P•Q•R•OPT-IMO•PRINC•, Septimius Severus on horseback left, spear in raised right hand, reigns and Victory standing left in left hand. Calicó 2539 (same dies). RIC IV.I 189a. Lustrous silky fields, expertly minted from newly crafted Fine Style dies, exhibit a flawless finesse and brilliant precision, embodying a masterful blend of tradition and craftsmanship. The first Roman emperor of African descent, Lucius Septimius Severus was born on 11 April AD 145 in the North African city of Leptis Magna. He entered the Senate during the reign of Marcus Aurelius and also served as an officer in the army under the general Pertinax, finding the soldier's life much to his liking. Talented and hardworking, Severus rose rapidly in the Senate hierarchy, becoming consul in AD 190 and proconsul of Pannonia Superior the following year. The assassination of Commodus on 1 January AD 193 brought his patron Pertinax to the throne, but within three months, Pertinax had been murdered by the Praetorians, who sold the throne to Didius Julianus. An outraged populace demanded that Pescennius Niger, governor of Syria, or Clodius Albinus, proconsul of Britain, depose Julianus. But Severus was much closer, in Pannonia, and he struck first. Placating Albinus with the junior title of Caesar, Severus marched on Rome and easily disposed of Julianus. He next marched against Niger and crushed his rebel regime in a brutally efficient campaign. Returning to Rome in AD 195, he raised his elder son Caracalla to the rank of Caesar, thus severing his pact with Clodius Albinus and igniting another civil war, which ended with Severus's victory in AD 197. A bloody purge of Albinus's supporters led many to call him "the Punic Sulla," but with his position secure, he ruled with moderation. Julia Domna's patronage stimulated Rome's arts and intellectual life, but the mutual hatred of their sons, Caracalla and Geta, caused the imperial couple no end of grief. Like Hadrian, Severus traveled incessantly, but his policy was expansion through conquest, and in AD 208, he launched an invasion of Scotland. But what was supposed to be a quick conquest turned into a long, bitter slog, which took its toll on the emperor's health. On his deathbed in York, Severus begged his sons to "be good to each other, pay the soldiers well, and the rest can to go to hell." He died on 4 February AD 211 at the age of 65. https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/roman-imperial/ancients-septimius-severus-ad-193-211-av-aureus-20mm-732-gm-12h-ngc-msand-9733-5-5-4-5/a/3113-31054.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-3113-01082024 HID02906262019 © 2023 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved Estimate: 20000-25000 USD |  |
