Macrinus Bronze Sestertius, RIC IV Macrinus 185b

Monetary Context and Denominational Role

The sestertius held a foundational role within the tripartite monetary system established under Augustus and maintained into the early third century AD. Struck in orichalcum, a brass alloy composed primarily of copper and zinc, the sestertius was tariffed as one-quarter of a silver denarius and one-hundredth of a gold aureus. By the reign of Macrinus (AD 217 to AD 218), prolonged inflationary pressures, fiscal expansion, and declining alloy purity had placed heavy demands on imperial mints. Caracalla had recently introduced the antoninianus (double denarius) and adjusted precious-metal weight standards, exacerbating structural pressures across base-metal production. Despite ongoing economic realignments, the sestertius retained immense civic importance. Its broad surface module made it the primary public vehicle for metropolitan propaganda, state announcements, and religious invocations. While precious metal coins were frequently dispatched directly to provincial legions and frontier garrisons, large brass denominations like RIC IV Macrinus 185b functioned extensively within civilian markets across the Italian peninsula and the western provinces. Struck under senatorial authorization, signified by the letters S C (Senatus Consulto), the sestertius reasserted institutional constitutionalism during an era marked by shifting military allegiances and rapid imperial turnover.

Mint Operation, Fabric, and Technical Execution

RIC IV Macrinus 185b was manufactured exclusively at the central imperial mint in Rome. Throughout Macrinus's fourteen-month reign, the emperor remained stationed in Syria and Mesopotamia, directing operations against Parthian forces from Antioch. Consequently, mint masters in Rome executed bronze coinage without direct personal interaction with the princeps, initially relying on provincial dispatch sketches, official imperial portraits, and established Severan artistic conventions. The sestertii of Macrinus typically range in weight between 18.00 and 26.00 grams, with flan diameters spanning 29 to 32 millimeters, conforming to the late Severan weight standard. Striking involved heavy bronze dies set into anvils, where heated orichalcum flans were manually positioned and struck with an upper punch die. Die alignment on these issues is predominantly vertical or near-vertical, adhering to the standard Roman imperial clock-face die axis orientation of 12 or 6 o'clock. The zinc content of Severan orichalcum had diminished considerably compared to early Julio-Claudian issues, often shifting the alloy toward a darker bronze appearance over centuries of patination. Die engraving in Rome remained technically refined, demonstrating clean lettering, balanced field spacing, and deeply sculpted relief on the imperial bust.

Obverse Iconography and Imperial Portrayal

The obverse of RIC IV Macrinus 185b displays the bust of Macrinus facing right, wearing a laurel wreath and military cuirass. This specific bust type distinguishes catalogue number 185b from 185a, which instead features a laureate and draped bust, or variants showing a combination of drapery and cuirass. The depiction of the cuirass highlights Macrinus's role as supreme military commander (imperator), a crucial visual message intended to reassure the Roman public of the emperor's capability to defend the borders. Chronologically, portraiture of Macrinus divides into distinct stylistic phases. Early issues produced in the spring and summer of AD 217 often feature a compact, shorter beard reminiscent of Caracalla, reflecting initial die preparation in Rome before official imperial likenesses arrived from the East. Subsequent portrait issues present Macrinus with an elongated, carefully curled beard and mature facial features, aligning with historical descriptions of his actual appearance. The laurel wreath rests securely upon his head, tied at the nape of the neck with ribbon ties falling over the rear drapery and armor.

Reverse Iconography: Jupiter the Preserver

The reverse iconography of RIC IV Macrinus 185b centers upon Jupiter Conservator, the divine preserver and guardian of the Roman state and emperor. Jupiter stands facing left, depicted heroic and nude with a mantle (chlamys) draped loosely over his left arm. In his extended right hand, the deity grasps a thunderbolt, the celestial weapon symbolizing divine authority and retribution. His raised left hand supports a long, vertical sceptre resting against the ground, an emblem of universal kingship. The design belongs to a broader tradition of Roman imperial coinage that sought to anchor an emperor's legitimacy under the patronal protection of the Capitoline pantheon. By dedicating coin types to Jupiter Conservator, Macrinus presented his accession not as the result of a violent palace conspiracy against Caracalla, but as a divinely sanctioned succession watched over by the supreme Olympian god. Flanking the deity in the lower fields are the large letters S and C, denoting the constitutional sanction of the Senate for the base-metal issue.

Epigraphic Structure and Titulature

The obverse legend of this type reads IMP CAES M OPEL SEV MACRINVS AVG, transcribed in full as Imperator Caesar Marcus Opellius Severus Macrinus Augustus. Upon his elevation by the eastern legions, Macrinus adopted the prestigious cognomen Severus to signal continuity with the dynasty of Septimius Severus, attempting to ease anxiety within the army and Senate regarding his lack of direct royal bloodlines. The imperial titles Imperator, Caesar, and Augustus frame his personal nomenclature in the standard imperial formula. On the reverse, the legend reads IOVI CONSERVATORI, cast in the dative case to signify a religious dedication: 'To Jupiter the Preserver.' The senatorial abbreviation S C stands for Senatus Consulto ('by decree of the Senate'), marking official civic authorization. The epigraphy across both faces is rendered in clear Roman square capitals with standardized serifs, demonstrating the consistent calligraphic execution maintained by the Rome mint during this brief administrative window.

Typological Classification and Chronological Placement

In the standard classification scheme established by Mattingly and Sydenham in The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume IV, Part II, the bronze sestertii featuring Jupiter Conservator are catalogued under number 185. Variety 185a comprises the laureate and draped bust, whereas variety 185b is designated specifically by the laureate and cuirassed bust. The issue dates between the late spring of AD 217 and early AD 218. Because Macrinus never visited Rome during his fourteen-month principate, the Rome mint executed these emissions through several consecutive coin batches. The Jupiter Conservator types appear without explicit tribunician numbering (such as TR P or TR P II), which places them among the undated series running parallel to dated emissions of AD 217 and AD 218. Scholars note that bust variations, such as the cuirassed posture of 185b, likely reflect either parallel production workshops (officinae) working simultaneously within the mint or successive minor adjustments in engraving templates across late AD 217.

Distribution, Hoard Evidence, and Monetary Afterlife

Because Macrinus ruled for only fourteen months, from April AD 217 until his defeat and execution following the Battle of Antioch in June AD 218, his bronze coinage was issued in far smaller quantities than the vast outputs of Septimius Severus or Caracalla. Bronze sestertii of Macrinus, including RIC IV 185b, nevertheless entered circulation rapidly through administrative disbursements in Italy and the western Roman provinces. Hoard studies from Roman Britain, Gaul, the Rhine frontier, and Italy demonstrate that Severan sestertii remained active in circulation for several decades after their initial release. Many surviving specimens of Macrinus's bronze show moderate to heavy surface wear, indicating that subsequent emperors did not order a systematic demonetization or recall of his base-metal coinage. The types continued to circulate alongside the bronze issues of Elagabalus and Severus Alexander until the broad collapse of the orichalcum sestertius during the monetary crises of the mid-third century AD.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. V: Pertinax to Elagabalus. pp. 518-523
2. The Chronology and Production of the Coins of Macrinus. Numismatic Chronicle
3. Description Historique des Monnaies Frappees sous l'Empire Romain, Tome IV. p. 294
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. IV, Part II: Macrinus to Pupienus. p. 21
5. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC IV Macrinus 185b. ric.4.mcs.185b