A gold aureus struck in A.D. 202 in Rome is a remarkable coin with four portraits issued during the reign of Septimius Severus.

Classical Numismatic Group writes in its May 19 and 20 auction that coinage under the Roman emperor saw a variety of combinations of portraits of the Imperial family, explaining, “Among the rarest of this series is this beautiful aureus, which combines a forceful obverse portrait of Severus with a facing bust of his wife Julia Domna, between confronting busts of their two sons Caracalla and Geta.”

CNG graded the coin near Extremely Fine, observing a few light marks and scrapes and typical weakness to Domna’s nose, noting, “The legend FELICTAS SAECVLI, “happy age,” completes the propaganda message of a secure new dynasty. In reality, the dysfunctional family dynamic led to a very brief run for the Severan clan.”

It sold for $36,000 on May 19.

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