95, Lot: 91. Estimate $300. Sold for $190. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

PONTUS, Amasia. Severus Alexander. 222-235 AD. Æ 32mm (18.27 gm). Dated CY 208 (232 AD). Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / Altar of Zeus Stratios surmounted by flaming offering table upon which the bovine sacrifice lays prostrate; tree to left of altar. Waddington, Rec. pg. 38, 78; cf. BMC Pontus. pg. 11, 32 (no bull). VF, heavy green-brown patina.

The Altar of Zeus Stratios in Amaseia was one of the most famous in the region and its flames could be seen by sailors following the coastline of the Black Sea. This rare variety shows the precise moment when the offering is made to Zeus.