579. Caracalla. AD 198-217. Æ Sestertius (29.5mm, 23.84 g, 12h). Rome mint. Struck AD 214. Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / “Adlocutio” scene: Caracalla, in military dress, standing right on low platform on left, raising right hand; with him on platform, to his left, officer standing right, to his right, officer standing facing; to right, Dacian bodyguard in short tunic and cloak standing right, holding falx, a second falx behind; to far right, two soldiers, helmeted in military dress, standing left, each holding an aquila in right hand and oblong shield in left; vexillum behind. RIC IV 525c; Banti 58; BMCRE p. 480, †. Toned brass surfaces with areas of green encrustation, flan crack. Near EF. Very rare. ($3000) In AD 214, the emperor Caracalla mustered a large legionary force intent on invading the rival Parthian Kingdom, which was riven by dynastic disputes. This sestertius depicts Caracalla and his officers atop a platform, addressing his soldiers prior to battle. An interesting feature is the presence of a guardsman standing at the foot of the platform, armed with a long, curved weapon, facing the mass of soldiery. The presence of another weapon behind implies there are several such bodyguards present. These are certainly a Dacian imperial guard, armed with their native weapon, a deadly two-handed sickle sword called the falx. Little is known about this elite unit aside from their appearance on coins and monuments of the late second and third centuries AD. The first Dacian unit in the Roman Army was Cohors I Aelia Dacorum, raised by Hadrian and stationed in northern Britannia. The Dacians depicted here, however, are clearly a different unit serving specifically as imperial guards, perhaps as a counterweight to the Praetorians. In the first century BC/AD, the German guard had performed a similar function. The Dacian guards are seen in a similar pose on the Column of Marcus Aurelius, indicating the unit was in place by the AD 170s.
580. Caracalla. AD 198-217. Æ Sestertius (31mm, 28.04 g, 12h). Rome mint. Struck AD 214. Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / Commodus seated left on sella castrensis between prefect of the praetorium on right and Liberalitas on left, holding abacus and cornucopia, attending the distribution of a gift to a citizen, climbing ladder, holding out mantel to receive it. RIC IV 527; Banti 23. Brown surfaces, hairline flan crack, minor smoothing. VF. ($750) From the Collection of a Gentleman, Kent, England.
581 582 581. Geta. As Caesar, AD 198-209. AR Denarius (18.5mm, 3.53 g, 7h). Rome mint. Struck AD 200-205. Bareheaded, draped, and cuirassed bust right / Geta, in military dress, standing facing, head left, holding baton and scepter; trophy to right. RIC IV 18 var. (bust not cuirassed, holding branch on rev.); RSC 157b var. (bust not cuirassed). Lustrous with light toning, a couple of small deposits on obverse. In NGC encapsulation 4284623-009, graded MS, Strike: 4/5, Surface: 4/5. ($300) 582. Geta. AD 209-211. AR Denarius (17.5mm, 3.26 g, 7h). Rome mint. Struck AD 210. Laureate head right / Felicitas standing facing, head left, holding cornucopia and caduceus. RIC IV 69b; RSC 138. Lightly toned with underlying luster. In NGC encapsulation 4938345-029, graded MS, Strike: 4/5, Surface: 5/5. ($400) Ex Dr. Klaus Berthold Collection (Künker 318, 11 March 2019), lot 1446, purchased by him from Münzhandlung Javorschek, 1991.
166