Severus Alexander, denarius, silver, reign 222-235, struck 227

Severus Alexander, denarius, silver, reign 222-235, struck 227, weight 3.10 g, diameter 20 mm. Obverse: IMP C M AVR SEV ALEXAND AVG; laureate, draped bust right. Reverse: P M TR P VI COS II P P; Pax running left, draped, holding olive branch in right hand and sceptre in left hand. Strike: well-centered with full legends and minor high-point softness. Toning: light uniform grey with darker recessed areas. References: RIC IV 67; noted as a rare issue. Issued at Rome in 227, this denarius belongs to Severus Alexander’s sixth tribunician year and second consulship, as recorded in the reverse legend. The coin’s imagery promotes internal stability through the personification of Pax, signalling the emperor’s aim to secure peace after conflicts on the eastern frontier and along the Rhine. Severus Alexander’s reign marks the end of the Severan dynasty and the last phase before the empire entered the military and economic disruptions of the third-century crisis. The relatively high silver content of his denarii illustrates the monetary standard still maintained immediately prior to the accelerated debasement that followed his death in 235.