NGC 25th Anniversary Display ** 2012 FUN SHOW EXHIBIT **
ANCIENT ROME
SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS (A.D. 193-211). GOLD AUREUS
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Coin Details
Origin/Country: |
ANCIENT - ROMAN EMPIRE (1st CENT BC - 5th CENT AD) ROMAN EMPIRE Sept. Severus, AD 193-211 |
Item Description: |
AV Aureus rv Virtus hldg. Victory |
Full Grade: |
NGC Gem MS Surface: 5/5 Surface: 5/5 |
Owner: |
NGC EXHIBIT |
Owner Comments:
Few Roman gold coins survive in such pristine condition as this aureus of the Emperor Septimius Severus, who came to power in the midst of a civil war in A.D. 193. He triumphed over three adversaries and established his own family dynasty that ruled virtually uninterrupted until A.D. 235. This aureus likely was struck in the first year of his rule, when he needed to assure the loyalty of his soldiers and to support the costs of civil war. The reverse shows the figure of Virtus, the personification of manliness, valor and bravery, a theme that would have resonated with the intended recipients of this coin.