Extremely Rare Macrinus Bronze

348, Lot: 579. Estimate $150. Sold for $260. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

PHOENICIA, Tyre. Macrinus. AD 217-218. Æ (29mm, 22.61 g, 9h). Laureate and cuirassed bust right / Two togate figures (Macrinus and Diadumenian?) standing facing one another, clasping hands and holding scepters; lighted altar between. Rouvier –; AUB –; BMC –. Fine, rough green-brown patina. Extremely rare, and apparently unpublished in the standard references.

Though the exact attribution of this coin is not certain, the portrait is very likely that of Macrinus, given the shortly-cropped hair. The vertically-stringed beard closely matches portraits of Macrinus on bronze issues from Tyre, while the reverse type is similar to issues of Septimius Severus from Aelia Capitolina, featuring the togate figures of Caracalla and Geta clasping hands. The presence of ‘COLON’ in the exergue, however, is more fitting with the issues from Tyre, as that is a much more common rendition of the termination of the reverse legends. The remainder of the reverse legend for this coin, along with the strange and uncertain obverse legend, prevent any further assurance other than that it is an extremely rare and interesting type.