Severus Alexander, A.D. 222 – 235. AR Denarius

Severus Alexander, A.D. 222 – 235. AR Denarius, Rome, ca. A.D. 225-228. Silver 19 mm, 3.35 g, die axis 7 h. Obv. IMP C M AVR SEV ALEXAND AVG – Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Severus Alexander right, seen from behind. Rev. FELICI-TAS AVG – Felicitas standing front, head left, holding patera over lighted altar at her feet and long caduceus in left hand. Ref. RIC IV.2 137;  NGC Choice AU (Strike 5/5, Surface 4/5) Formerly encapsulated, #2116847-042. Brilliant silver with light gold-grey toning in recesses, sharp facial detail and a fully struck reverse.

Struck during the calm middle years of Severus Alexander’s reign, this denarius couples a youthful but self-assured imperial portrait with the reassuring figure of Felicitas, the personification of good fortune and public prosperity. After the murderous turbulence that ended the rule of Elagabalus, the new regime was eager to broadcast stability; coinage offered the perfect billboard. The patera-and-altar motif asserts piety and traditional sacrifice, while the caduceus nods to peaceful commerce—an implicit promise that Rome would flourish under Alexander’s prudent custodianship.

In hindsight that promise proved short-lived: within a few years the Rhine legions would rebel and the Sasanian king Ardashir would invade Mesopotamia, ushering in the third-century crisis. High-grade issues like the present piece therefore stand as bright, silver witnesses to the brief interlude of optimism before Rome’s imperial fortunes began to unravel.