ROMAN. Macrinus. A.D. 217-218. Silver Denarius (3.32g). Rome mint. Struck A.D. 217. IMP C M OPEL SEV MACRINVS AVG, laureate and cuirassed bust right, seen from the front / FIDES MILITVM, Fides standing facing, holding a military standard in each hand. RIC 67; RSC 23. Choice Mint State. Perfectly centred and struck with needle-sharp detail. A superb example with lovely bluish and rose iridescent toning, almost certainly among the very finest known specimens of the type and a serious contender for the finest Macrinus denarius extant. Macrinus, a native of Mauretania and the first Roman emperor to rise from the equestrian order, began his career as a distinguished jurist and high official under Septimius Severus before advancing to the powerful post of praetorian prefect under Caracalla. A prophecy that he would overthrow and succeed the emperor, coupled with signs that Caracalla distrusted him, almost certainly drew him into the plot that ended with Caracalla's murder in April A.D. 217. Proclaimed emperor soon afterwards, Macrinus elevated his young son Diadumenian to the rank of Caesar, but his brief reign was compromised by military miscalculations and a costly peace with the Parthian king Artabanos IV, which badly damaged his standing with the legions. Seizing the moment, Julia Maesa and her family rallied Legio III Gallica to proclaim Elagabalus, whose forces defeated Macrinus near Antioch. Attempting to flee towards Italy in disguise, he was captured and executed, his short and troubled rule bringing a swift end to the first equestrian principate. From a collection formed over half a century; previously privately purchased from Superior Galleries. (P)

Estimate: AUD 5000