SEVERUS ALEXANDER
AD 222-235
AE Sesetertius. 19.21g, 31.2mm
MINTED: Rome mint, AD 228
REF: RIC IV 476; Cohen 343
OBVERSE: IMP CAES M AVR SEV ALEXANDER AVG, laureate and draped bust right.
REVERSE: P M TR P VII COS II P P, Mars in mililtary attire, standing left, foot on prow of ship, holding spear in right hand and parazonium in left hand; S-C in fields.

 
Provenance: 
Ex E.E. Clain-Stefanelli Collection
Elvira Eliza Clain-Stefanelli (1914-2001) was born in Romania.  During World War II, she and her husband Vladimir were sent by the Gestapo to Buchenwald concentration camp. They survived their 3-year imprisonment and when the war was over, moved to Italy, where they worked in the numismatic trade. In 1951, they moved to the United States, where their knowledge and passion for numismatics led to them becoming curators of National Numismatics Collection at the Smithsonian. Together, they were also authors of numerous important reference works and curated an excellent personal collection of coins.

Notes: 
Dark green patina. Edge irregularity the result of the flan having been inexpertly prepared before striking; an interesting example of quality control issues at the mint. 
 
Historical Notes:
Following the violent ending of Elagabalus's bizarre rule, Rome breathed a sigh of relief when his younger cousin, Severus Alexander, took to the throne with a council of respected senators and advisors assisting him in the rule of the empire. His rule was generally marked by economic prosperity, peace, and legal and religious tolerance. 
 
From 230, however, Alexander began to lose popularity with the army as he proved unable to lead them to a decisive victory against the Sasanian Empire. He was seen to be too keen to seek diplomatic solutions to military conflicts, and disaffected soldiers would soon be calling him a coward, held under the sway of his domineering mother. In 235, at the age of 26, he and his mother were both murdered at Moguntiacum by mutinous soldiers of the Legio XXII Primigenia. His death would spell the end of the Severan Dynasty, ushering in a period of great turmoil for the Roman Empire known as the Crisis of the 3rd Century.