Septimius Severus. AD 193-211. Æ Sestertius (28.5mm, 19.65 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck AD 195-196. Good VF.

CNG Feature Auction 132
Lot: 807. Estimated: $ 500

Roman Imperial, Bronze, Coin-in-Hand Video

Sold For $ 700. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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Septimius Severus. AD 193-211. Æ Sestertius (28.5mm, 19.65 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck AD 195-196. Laureate and cuirassed bust right / Mars standing right, holding spear and resting hand on shield set on ground; cuirass to left. RIC IV 708; Banti 99. Green and red patina, some roughness, smoothing. Good VF.

Ex Sotheby’s Zürich (7 May 1975), lot 245.

Although Septimius Severus is often described as first of the “soldier emperors,” his early career was almost entirely civilian, rising steadily through the ladder of Roman magistracies, much like his predecessors. Nevertheless, his reign proved a major step in militarizing Roman government and life. He entered the Senate in AD 173 and gained some early military experience as a legionary officer in Africa and Syria, where he served under the later Emperor Pertinax. After reaching the consulship in AD 190, he was appointed as governor of Pannonia Superior, which placed him in command of Legio XIIII Gemina Martia Victrix, strategically located within easy march of Italy and Rome. With the assassination of Commodus in AD 193, followed within weeks by the murder of his mentor Pertinax, Severus was hailed as emperor by the XIIIIth at Carnuntum. A lightning march to Rome deposed the pathetic Didius Julianus and placed Severus in firm control of the capital, whereupon he immediately prepared for civil war against two rivals who had likewise been proclaimed in the provinces, Clodius Albinus and Pescinnius Niger. Though wealthy and connected, Severus was from a “new” family and relied heavily on the army to cement his power. He raised military pay and showed his troops many preferments, including ending the longtime ban on marriage for regular soldiers. The army began to think of him as one of their own and, after disposing of Niger and Albinus, he suffered no revolts or serious internal threats for the rest of his reign.

The final winners of all CNG Feature Auction 132 lots will be determined at the live online sale that will be held on 18-19 May 2026.

CNG Feature Auction 132 – Session Three – Lot 588-888 will be held Tuesday morning, 19 May 2026 beginning at 9:00 AM ET.

Winning bids are subject to a 22.5% buyer's fee for bids placed on this website and 25% for all others.

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