SEVERUS ALEXANDER
AD 222-235
Potin Tetradrachm. 12.47g, 24.2mm
MINTED: EGYPT, Alexandria, dated RY 2 (AD 222/3)
REF: Dattari 4373; Milne 2892; Emmett 3139.2
OBVERSE: Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right.
REVERSE: Tyche standing facing, head left, holding cornucopia and rudder; LB (date) to left.
 
Grade/Notes:
Very Fine. Pleasant, young portrait of Severus Alexander. Nice, clear reverse. 
 
Historical Notes:
Egypt supplied as much as half of Rome’s annual grain supply, and was as such a hugely important province. Its economic and cultural heart was Alexandria, the second largest city in the Empire with a population of more than half a million during the time of Augustus. The coins of Roman Egypt were heavily used in daily commerce, and most often found in extremely worn condition. They are nevertheless highly collectible and interesting, sometimes featuring unique Egyptian-themed reverses and deities.