Unpublished & Possibly Unique Caracalla Denarius

389, Lot: 697. Estimate $750. Sold for $1200. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Caracalla. AD 198-217. AR Denarius (19mm, 3.16 g, 11h). Rome mint. Struck AD 215. ANTONINVS PIVS AVG GERM, laureate head right / P M TR P XVIII COS IIII P P, Luna, with fold of drapery floating around and above head, driving a biga of oxen left. RIC IV –; BMCRE –; RSC –. EF, lightly toned, small metal flaw on the reverse, a couple spots of verdigris. Extremely rare, and perhaps unique.

From the KD Collection, purchased privately from Freeman & Sear, December 2008.

This type for Caracalla for TR P XVIII appears to be unpublished. The standard references list it only as an antoninianus (RIC IV 256b & c), and both the G. R. Arnold and Michael Kelly collections of Severan coinage did not contain an example.