Severus Alexander Silver Denarius RIC # IV 44c - A.D. 224 - P M TR P III COS P P

Severus Alexander was a tragic figure—a pious, well-educated, and well-intentioned young man who became emperor at the tender age of 13 after the assassination of his cousin Elagabalus. His early reign was marked by stability, guided by his powerful grandmother, Julia Maesa, and his mother, Julia Mamaea.

This denarius, minted in AD 224, represents that brief period of Pax Severiana before the major military crises began. The reverse invokes Jupiter, representing the stability, might, and divine sanction sought by the ruling family. Severus Alexander's moderate rule was famously in stark contrast to his tyrannical predecessors, and his eventual assassination in 235 AD, engineered by his successor Maximinus Thrax, is widely considered the event that triggered the devastating Crisis of the Third Century.

Obverse Legend: IMP C M AVR SEV ALEXAND AVG (Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander Augustus)

Reverse Legend: P M TR P III COS P P (Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestas III, Consul, Pater Patriae - Chief Priest, with Tribunician Power for the 3rd time, Consul, Father of the Country)

1. Coin Grade: (seller’s opinion using AI analysis):

Strike and Detail: The portrait is sharply struck and clear. The legend is mostly legible, though slightly off-center and weakly struck in some parts of the legend (like the very top of the obverse). The reverse figure of the deity is well-defined.

Wear: There is a moderate amount of wear consistent with circulation. The highest points of the portrait (hair, wreath) show some flattening, and the fields have minor hairlines.

Centering: The obverse is slightly off-center to the left. The reverse is also slightly off-center to the right, causing a slight truncation of the legend on the right side.

Surface: The surfaces appear generally smooth, with a nice silver tone and no major flan cracks or corrosion visible.

Estimated Grade: Very Fine (VF) to Near Extremely Fine (aEF/VF+)

It presents very well for a denarius from this period. The excellent portrait detail pushes it toward the higher end of the VF range, perhaps a VF+, or even a low XF (Extremely Fine) in a generous grading system, but the slight off-centering keeps it from a true EF.