CARACALLA, with Geta as Caesar, AD 198–211. AV Aureus

CARACALLA, with Geta as Caesar, AD 198–211. AV Aureus (19 mm, 7.15 g), Rome, AD 210–213. ANTONINVS PIVS AVG BRIT, laureate bust right, slight drapery on far shoulder. Rev. LIB AVGG VI ET V, Caracalla and Geta seated left on a platform; before them, Libertas standing left, holding abacus and cornucopiae, with a citizen standing below. RIC IV 215c; BMCRE p. 371 note; C. 130 var. (bust type); Calicó 2692 corr. (misdescribed). Die axis: 12h.

An exceptionally rare type, only the fourth recorded at auction in the past two decades, struck during the joint reign of Caracalla and Geta as co-emperors in the final years before their fratricidal rupture. The reverse scene is rich in political symbolism: Libertas, embodiment of civic freedom, presides over the emperors, signifying imperial benevolence and the extension of rights to the citizenry, here represented by the lone figure below the dais. The portrait of Caracalla is rendered in high relief with remarkable lifelike intensity, its sharp features set against gleaming fields. Perfectly centered, highly lustrous, and with beautiful detail preserved on both sides, this is a coin of great historical and numismatic importance. About Mint State.