Struck from Aureus Dies

CNG 102, Lot: 1070. Estimate $500. Sold for $1700. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Gordian III. AD 238-244. AR Denarius (19mm, 2.72 g, 12h). Rome mint, 5th officina. Special emission, AD 239. IMP CAES M ANT GORDIANVS AVG, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / P M TR P II COS P P, Jupiter standing facing, head left, holding thunderbolt and his mantle over small figure of Gordian at his feet to left and long scepter. ANS 1998.8.2 = World-Wide Coins of California [Elmen] X (6 November 1986), lot 63 (same dies); ANS 1998.8.1 var. (obv. legend); otherwise unpublished as a denarius, but cf. RIC IV 21 for this type as an aureus. EF. Extremely rare, the second published for this issue (the other now in the ANS), both struck from the same dies, which were also used for aureii (cf. illustration of Calicó 3211). A further two pieces are reportedly in private collections.

This issue of denarii only came to light with the appearance of one in the 1986 Elmen sale (noted above), which was purchased by George His (a renowned collector of Gordian III), who later donated it to the ANS. Previously, no denarii were known for the issues with TR P II. However, this may be merely a normal issue for which few coins remain today, since two other denarii are known with TR P II, although with a slightly different variety of Gordian’s obverse legend. Axel Jürging’s article on Gordian’s first emission (in JNG XLV [1995]) notes that both of these legends were used simultaneously. One of the two denarii has the same reverse type as the present coin (the other ANS piece noted above), while the other has a different reverse type (Fides [also ex His Collection, Triton V, lot 2079]). Interestingly, there is a fourrée TR P II denarius with a Providentia reverse type (ANS 1985.140.181), that suggests there may have been an official issue with that reverse type. In any event, all three of these reverse types are known for TR P II antoniniani, so their use on denarii is not unexpected.