MAXIMINUS I. 235-238 AD. Æ Sestertius (17.48 gm). Struck 235-236 AD. IMP MAXIMINVS PIVS AVG, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / FIDES MILITVM, S C across field, Fides Militum standing facing, head left, holding military standards. RIC IV 43; MIR 27, 9-5/A; BMCRE 63; Cohen 10. VF, green and brown patina.
This early issue of Maximinus I has a portrait clearly modified from that of his predecessor, Severus Alexander. Later portraits of Maximinus display an almost grotesque physiognomy, resembling Frankenstein's monster. This, coupled with primary sources' depictions of him as a hulking giant over 8 feet tall, has led some modern historians to conclude he suffered from excessive human growth hormone.
