Faustina II

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Of uncertain status are thousands (millions?) of surviving bronze coins of the Severan era that copy silver denarii. Some examples still bear traces of a very thin silver wash. Our example in the upper right bears the legends of Clodius Albinus around a portrait of Septimius Severus. The reverse (not shown) belongs to Commodus. Such mismatches are common on these coins. Termed Limes (Lim-ace) or coins of the borders, these may be another example of coins of necessity. They may also be officially sanctioned issues for use in regions where political unrest made it hazardous to ship large amounts of silver. These low value issues could have served troops on the front and been redeamable for good coinage when they returned to the stable regions. We simply do not know. Some Limes denarii were cast in molds made from genuine coins while others (like out example) were struck from dies made for the purpose. They copy both common and rare types and are being found in large quantities in Eastern Europe on the edges of the Empire during the period of their issue. Perhaps future study will bring to light more information on these coins. A final class of questionable coins are Severan bronzes listed in Cohen and following catalogs as 'Cast in Gaul'. Our example (lower right) is an as of Caracalla much thinner and lighter than the coin it copied. Molds for these copies were made from original coins and copy die varities quite closely. Their thin fabric and fuzzy details should enable collectors to identify them. Unfortunately, they are often sold without mention of their status by dealers who should know better. Again the correct status of the issue will require more study to understand.