| Heritage World Coin Auctions > CSNS Signature Sale 3115 | Auction date: 8 May 2024 |
| Lot number: 32294 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction - Bid on this lot  | Show similar lots on CoinArchives Find similar lots in upcoming auctions on  |
| Lot description: Ancients Macrinus (AD 217-218). AE sestertius (34mm, 27.67 gm, 6h). XF, tooled. Rome, AD 217. IMP CAES M OPEL SEV MACRINVS AVG, laureate, cuirassed bust of Macrinus right with short beard / IOVI CONSERVATORI, Jupiter standing facing, head left, with thunderbolt in outstretched right hand, grounded scepter in left; small figure of Macrinus standing facing (to right), head right, raising left hand. RIC 189. BMCRE 102. Cohen 39. Rare example struck on a large medallic flan, with a deep reddish-brown patina. Evidence of tooling, thus ineligible for encapsulation. Ex Heritage Auctions, Auction 3061 (7 January 2018), lot 29399; Künker 273 (14 March 2106), lot 849; Dr. Rousset Collection (Hirsch 30, Munich, 1911) lot 1104; Bourgey (Paris, 24 April 1908), lot 341. This foreboding sestertius depicts on the obverse the short-reigned emperor Macrinus sporting a soldier's beard and on the reverse the emperor seeking protection under the shadow of a colossal effigy of Jupiter the Preserver (IOVI CONSERVATORI), a late imperial reverse type invoking the king of the Pantheon as the personal protector of the Augusti. First appearing after the Year of the Five Emperors, Jupiter the Preserver was a symbol of the precarity of holding power in a time of such rapid dynastic turnover. A fitting allusion, as Macrinus and his son Diadumenian's reign would last just over one year, culminating in the disastrous Battle of Antioch. Following their defeat, both fled, were apprehended, and beheaded, their heads sent to their successor Elagabalus as trophies. Additionally, the Senate ordered the erasure of their names and faces, known as a condemnation of their memory (damnatio memoriae). 'The Life of Diadumenian' in the Historia Augusta recounts a pertinent exchange between Macrinus and his troops. Imperial claimants from the Severan and Antonine dynasties were present in Rome; therefore, to defend against their claims, Macrinus adopted the name Severus and granted his son the name Antoninus. Upon hearing this, Macrinus' troops shouted, "Jupiter, Greatest and Best, grant long life to Macrinus and to Antoninus. Thou knowest, O Jupiter, that no man can conquer Macrinus." Macrinus replied, "Accept, therefore, comrades, in return for the bestowal of the imperial power, three aurei for each one of you, and for the bestowal of the name Antoninus five aurei for each, together with the advancements prescribed by custom, but at this time doubled. The gods will grant that such gifts shall be often bestowed upon you, but we shall give you every five years what we have deemed right to give today." SOLD AS IS, NO RETURNS. https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/roman-imperial/ancients-macrinus-ad-217-218-ae-sestertius-34mm-2767-gm-6h-xf-tooled/a/3115-32294.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-3115-05082024 HID02906262019 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved |  |
