MAXIMINUS I. 235-238 AD. Æ Sestertius (28.58 gm). Struck 236-238 AD. MAXIMINVS PIVS AVG GERM, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / FIDES MILITVM, S C across field, Fides Militum standing facing, head left, holding military standards. RIC IV 78; MIR 27, 21-5; BMCRE 139; Cohen 13. VF, green patina. Heavy flan for issue.
This later portrait of Maximinus displays 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.
