As previously mentioned my dear old friend Nick helped me out by offering his easy credit terms in purchasing my nifty "new" Alex dupondius.
But I was slightly less than candid about my experience .....
I actually did find something of interest in one of his Roman boxes. Something that would have fulfilled my need for leaving with some small token of the experience.
Leaving a coin show empty handed is simply not to be tolerated especially if that need can be met for but a few portraits of President Andrew Jackson.
The unfortunate (and tragic) Severus II is a figure I have long neglected. But I found a fairly decent example and it was of my favorite variety ....... London !
I must confess that while acquiring my "London" folles (
no mint mark) series of Diocletian Maximianus Galerius and the noble Constantius I, and in the following two years adding another Maximianus (second reign MAXIMIANO), a nice Licinus I and a Maximinus II follis, I had somehow forgotten about poor old Severus II. It just never occurred to me when pondering over the early London coinage.
But there he was .....
Reasonably priced and looking for a new home.
This coin alone would have filled my needs and I was prepared to use it as a fall back option. Then Alex entered the equation ......
Then Nick entered the equation .....
The road to Hades is paved with the best intentions !
When in doubt buy both.
How does a humble (and poor) collector stand a chance against such wiley sellers of antiquities ?
Anyhow here he is
The oft forgotten and neglected emperor of the Tetrarchy, raised to his brief moments of glory by his benefactor Galerius and here acknowledged by his erstwhile foe Constantine the Great from the enigmatic (
no mint mark) London series.
Billon follis of Severus II
Obv. SEVERVS NOBILISSIMVS CAESAR
Laureate and cuirassed bust of Severus right
Rv. GENIO POPVLI ROMANI
Naked Genius standing left holding patera and cornucopia
no mint mark in exergue
10.35 grams 28-30mm
Sear 14630 RIC vi, p. 128, 58a
"London" mint
Posted 04/22/2018 8:49 pm
