Denarius of Julia Maesa

The denarius of Julia Maesa is a Roman imperial silver coin issued during the reign of her grandson Elagabalus, roughly 218–222 CE. Julia Maesa was a member of the powerful Severan dynasty and, as an imperial grandmother who helped engineer Elagabalus's rise, she was honored with her own coinage in the manner of a reigning empress. The example shown here has her portrait on the obverse and a standing figure on the reverse.

The obverse shows Julia Maesa's draped bust facing right, her hair dressed in the deep waves that swept back to a bun typical of Severan women's portraits, surrounded by a Latin legend naming her. The reverse carries a standing personification or deity such as Pudicitia, Pietas, Juno, or Fecunditas, accompanied by an inscription describing that virtue. It is a widely collected and relatively affordable entry point into genuine ancient Roman silver.

Julia Maesa was the sister of Julia Domna, the influential wife of Emperor Septimius Severus. After the murder of Caracalla and the brief reign of Macrinus, Maesa used her family's wealth and connections to place her teenage grandson Elagabalus on the throne in 218 CE. As a leading figure of the Severan household she received the title Augusta and appeared on the imperial coinage, a rare distinction for a woman who never ruled in her own name.

Her denarii were struck mainly at the mint of Rome during Elagabalus's reign (218–222 CE), with reverse types promoting traditional Roman virtues and goddesses associated with imperial women. These messages of piety, chastity, and dynastic fertility helped legitimize the young emperor and the family's hold on power.

Julia Maesa died around 224–225 CE, early in the reign of her second grandson Severus Alexander, and was subsequently deified. Her coinage belongs to the final decades of the good-silver denarius before the denomination was steadily debased and eclipsed by the double denarius in the mid-third century.

Identify the obverse by the right-facing draped bust of a mature woman with distinctive wavy hair pulled back into a bun at the nape, encircled by a Latin legend that typically reads IVLIA MAESA AVG. The name MAESA in the inscription is the surest confirmation and distinguishes her from the many other Severan women, such as Julia Domna, Julia Soaemias, Julia Paula, or Julia Mamaea.

The reverse shows a standing figure, usually a goddess or personified virtue, holding attributes and identified by the surrounding legend, for example PVDICITIA, PIETAS AVG, IVNO, SAECVLI FELICITAS, or FECVNDITAS SAECVLI. The coin is a small silver piece about 18–20 mm across and roughly 2.5–3.5 grams, struck by hand so the flan is often slightly irregular and the strike a little off-center.

Genuine examples show good-quality Severan silver with a bright to lightly toned surface. Because these are hand-struck ancients, expect variation in centering, minor flatness, and edge shape rather than the machined uniformity of a modern coin.

Denarii of Julia Maesa are among the more common and affordable genuine ancient Roman silver coins, since they were produced in quantity and many survive. Ordinary circulated examples with clear portraits and readable legends generally trade in the low tens of dollars, while worn or off-center pieces can be even less.

High-grade coins with sharp detail, full legends, attractive toning, and well-centered strikes command stronger premiums, and scarcer reverse types or exceptional eye appeal push prices higher still. As with all ancient silver, condition, centering, surface quality, and the desirability of the reverse type drive value far more than the mere presence of her name.

Because this type is frequently offered, buyers should compare recent auction results for the specific reverse and grade rather than rely on a single figure. Provenance and, for higher-value pieces, third-party authentication add confidence and can support a premium.