ELAGABALUS. 218-222 AD. AR Denarius (18mm, 3.67 gm). Rome mint. Struck 219 AD. IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, laureate and draped bust right / P M TR P II COS II P P, Sol standing left, raising hand, holding whip. RIC IV 17; BMCRE 304 corr. (mint); RSC 134 corr. (mint). EF.
This obverse legend is typically found with issues of 220-222 AD, but Mattingly notes that it must have begun use in late 219 AD, as it is found coupled with a few undated reverses typical of that year. This specimen verifies this, as the reverse is a dated type that would have been replaced on 10 December 219 when he assumed his third consulship. This unusual pairing of types perhaps lead Mattingly to place this coin among the issues of Antioch (BMCRE), but the style is clearly of the Rome mint. Interestingly, the plated example in BMCRE is placed among the Rome mint issues.
