Alexander of Carthage, Usurper

CNG 93, Lot: 1255. Estimate $4000. Sold for $4250. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Alexander of Carthage. Usurper, AD 308-310. Æ Follis (20mm, 3.82 g, 1h). Carthago (Carthage) mint. IMP ALEXANDER P F AVG, laureate head right / ROMAE A ETERNAE, Roma seated left in hexastyle temple, holding globe in right hand, scepter in left; P*K. RIC VI 75; Salama type VII, portrait style G. VF, slightly rough green-brown surfaces, fields smoothed. Extremely rare with this mintmark.

L. Domitius Alexander led a short-lived revolt against Maxentius from AD 308 to 311, holding Africa and Sardinia. There is little known about this usurper, but there is evidence in an inscription (CIL VIII, 22183) that he and Constantine allied themselves in opposition to Maxentius. P. Salama in “Recherches numismatiques sur l’usurpateur africain L. Domitius Alexander,” Proceedings of the International Numismatic Congress 1973, p. 365, note 2, suggests that at the latest, the pact was entered into by autumn of 310. The coins of the usurper Alexander are quite rare, particularly those with the star in the mintmark, as here. Salama speculated that this might have indicated a second emission that was cut short by the death of Alexander, or a parallel emission. The lack of diversity of types under this mintmark, three compared to twelve on coins without the star, suggests that it is more likely a second, rather than parallel, emission. In total, Salama noted only seven authentic examples with this mintmark. CoinArchives has only one other example of an Alexander with this mintmark, CNG 79, lot 1227, of similar quality to the present piece, which realized $5300.