Elagabalus. Very Attractive Fourée Denarius, Fides Seated.

Description

Elagabalus has suffered one of the worst reputations among Roman emperors for his extreme decadence and eccentricity. Those of you that have raised children, imagine this: giving a teenager everything he wants whenever he wants it, entertaining his every last whim. You would create a monster. That’s exactly what happened to Elagabalus. (At least some of the emperor’s bad reputation was a result of a smear campaign instigated after his death, however.)
At any rate, here is a fourée denarius in excellent style. I wonder if the counterfeiter got away with it, or if he was eventually fed to the lions. This coin has a flan crack, but it’s very sharp. Own a bit of the dark side of Roman numismatics!
Elagabalus, AD 218-222
Fourée denarius, 19mm, 2.1g, 6h. Unknown mint.
Obv.: IMP CAES M AVR ANTONINVS AVG; Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
Rev.: FIDES EXERCITVS; Fides, draped and diademed, seated left on throne, holding a standard in her left hand and an eagle in her right; to left, standard.
Reference: c.f. BMC 15, RIC 71.
From the DePew Collection.