Severus Alexander — Denarius Pax Avg, Ric IV 168 — Certificate Of Authenticity

This silver denarius of Severus Alexander, struck at Rome, is of the PAX AVG type catalogued as RIC IV 168, with concordances BMCRE 363 and RSC 187; modern typological databases assign this issue to the Roman series of the reign within a broad AD 222–228 framework, while the specialized numismatic trade commonly places this reference around AD 226, which corresponds to the bibliographic dossier currently accessible for this specific type.
Each specimen is examined, described, and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity in accordance with the standards of the art and heritage market; the present piece shows metrology of 3.00 g for 19 mm, fully consistent with the published data for the reference, Numista giving for this type 2.7 g and 19 mm, with an observed variation of about 1.95 to 3.439 g and 18 to 20.2 mm, placing the specimen within the normal range for Rome denarii struck by hammer under Severus Alexander.

Analysis & Expertise
Close observation under ×10 magnification and raking light. Direct examination of the obverse reveals a laureate and draped bust of Severus Alexander right whose structure remains especially legible, with short hair rendered in firm locks, a laurel wreath clearly individualized in principle, a sharp eye, a frank nasal line, a clearly marked mouth, and a youthful chin still well held, while the drapery at the base of the neck retains satisfactory relief; the peripheral legend develops with strong readability over a very large portion of the circumference, and the beaded border, well followed, frames the portrait with very favorable visual steadiness. This reading corresponds exactly to the type description retained by the British Museum and by Numista for RIC 168, both of which give a laureate and draped bust right under the titulature IMP C M AVR SEV ALEXAND AVG.

The reverse preserves central legibility of an excellent level for this issue, as Pax is shown moving left, holding in the right hand an olive branch and in the left a vertical scepter, in a supple and immediately intelligible composition; the allegorical silhouette, the gesture of the forward arm, the verticality of the attribute, and the overall balance of the field correspond precisely to the scheme described by the corpora, whether the British Museum, Numista, WildWinds, or the specialized trade under RIC 168. The observed iconography thus fully accords with the PAX AVG type, without any reading discrepancy or typological ambiguity.

The silver surface presents a coherent ancient physiognomy, with relief remaining crisp on both the portrait and the Pax figure, metallic brightness still perceptible on the high points, and old handling marks discreetly distributed within the fields without breaking the reading of the type; the flan, slightly irregular at the edge, remains perfectly compatible with an ancient hammer strike, and the beaded border retains fine continuity over most of the circumference. All visible characteristics—letter relief, relief behavior, flan structure, and engraving style—fit with strong coherence within the Roman series documented for this reference.

What particularly distinguishes this specimen, in the eyes of the knowledgeable collector, is the combination of a well-set Severus Alexander portrait, a broadly preserved titulature, an immediately legible PAX AVG reverse, and metrology exactly consistent with the group, so that the coin goes beyond mere catalogue conformity to offer a cabinet presence that is clear, stable, and technically satisfying.

Characteristics
Authority. This issue belongs to Severus Alexander, Roman emperor from AD 222 to 235.

Mint. The mint is Rome.

Dating. RIC 168 is placed by Numista/OCRE within AD 222–228, while specialized commercial catalogues for the same number commonly assign it to AD 226.

Denomination. Denarius.

Metal. Silver.

Weight. 3.00 g.

Diameter. 19 mm.

Technique. Hammer struck on an irregular round flan.

Obverse. IMP C M AVR SEV ALEXAND AVG, laureate and draped bust right.

Reverse. PAX AVG, Pax running or advancing left, holding a branch and a vertical scepter.

Typological references. RIC IV 168; BMCRE 363; RSC 187.

Historical context
The type belongs to the early years of Severus Alexander’s personal reign, a phase during which the Rome mint issued coinage strongly structured around allegories of government and stability; within this series, Pax expresses in a particularly classical manner the idea of imperial peace, with olive branch and scepter—that is, peace maintained under the prince’s authority. Modern descriptive corpora explicitly identify the reverse figure as Pax and translate PAX AVG as the peace of the Augustus.

The choice of this reverse fully fits the political language of Roman imperial coinage, where peace is not a decorative abstraction but a reign-virtue formulated in institutional terms; the presence of Pax on a Rome denarius of this series therefore belongs to a coherent numismatic program, documented by public collections and typological databases.

Cultural value
The cultural value of this coin lies in the clarity with which it links a young, disciplined imperial portrait to an immediately legible political allegory, in a formula highly representative of early third-century Rome; it is a denarius where engraving, without excess, retains that effectiveness characteristic of the best Rome issues, in which the divine or allegorical figure responds directly to the obverse titulature.

For the expert collector, this type is of particular interest because it unites a canonical reign reference, a reverse of high doctrinal legibility, and close metrological conformity with preserved and published specimens; the specimen described here thus occupies a very sound collecting zone, where identification, style, and material coherence answer one another with precision.

Traceability & Guarantees
From a European provenance, from an established numismatic dealer, this specimen was acquired through a specialized international transaction conducted within a recognized numismatic network and validated by reference experts, in accordance with the highest standards of the art and heritage market; examination of the present object retains exclusively the stylistic, technical, epigraphic, and metrological characteristics effectively observable, set within the framework of Severus Alexander’s Roman PAX AVG type and compared with accessible corpora and comparanda.

Each specimen is examined, described, and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity in accordance with the standards of the art and heritage market; in the present case, the concordance between the titulature IMP C M AVR SEV ALEXAND AVG, the PAX AVG reverse, the Rome mint, the observed metrology, and the references RIC IV 168, BMCRE 363, and RSC 187 establishes a particularly solid numismatic attribution.