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Coin Type: Silver denarius of Severus Alexander, 222-235 CE Mint and Date: Rome, 231-232 CE. Size and Weight: 18mm, 3.22g Obverse: IMP ALEXAN-DER PIVS AVG Laureate, draped bust right. Reverse: MARS VLTOR Mars in battle gear, as "the avenger," strides right, right leg forward, holding spear and round shield. Ref: RCV (2002) 7882; RIC IV 246 Provenance: cassianus (eBay), June 2002. BW Ref: 011 026 011 |
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Note: Curtis Clay wrote on the Forum Classical Numismatics Discussion Board on 7 October 2009: "Alexander's large final issue of coins at Rome, lasting from 231 until his death in 235, is divided into two by a variation of the types in the course of 232. Thus the dated Sol type changes in the course of TR P XI from Sol standing to Sol running; IOVI PROPVGNATORI gets an eagle; MARS VLTOR, originally "walking" (r. leg forward), changes to "running" (l. leg forward); PROVIDENTIA AVG Annona exchanges her rudder for a cornucopia. This is the significance of the variation of the Spes type that Moonmoth notes; the right-leg-forward type was struck in 231-2, then was replaced by the left-leg-forward type which lasted from mid 232 until 235. This difference and its significance was pointed out for the first time in print by Francis Dieulafait in the publication of the Eauze Hoard, 1992, p. 237. I had "discovered" it myself earlier, in my manuscript diagram of the sequence of Alexander's coinage, dated August 1985." ("moonmoth" is me.) |
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