Macrinus, Rome mint, first issue, Mai - July 217 AD.,
Denarius (18-19 mm / 2,61 g), silver, axis medal alignment ↑↑ (ca. 0°),
Obv.: IMP C M OPEL SEV MACRINVS AVG , laureate cuirassed bust of Macrinus right, younger features with cropped beard. A rare youthful portrait.
Rev.: SALVS PVBLICA , Salus seated left, feeding from patera a serpent arising from altar and holding sceptre in l. hand.
RIC IV 86 ; Cohen 116 var. (draped and cuirassed) ; BMC 115 ; Clay Issue 1 . same obverse die as Roma Numismatics Limited E-Sale 36, no. 668 (27.05.2017) cf. https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=3882868
Date according Curtis Clay, The Roman Coinage of Macrinus and Diadumenian, in: NZ 93 (1979), S. 21-40.
Marcus Opellius Severus Macrinus was born in Mauritania and began his career as a lawyer. He seems to been trusted enough to be appointed praetorian prefect by Caracalla in 212 and accompanied him when he embarked on his Parthian campaign in 216. Unfortunately, during the war Macrinus learnt of a prophecy foretelling his rise to power. This prophecy was more-or-less self-fulfilling since Macrinus realized that as soon as the increasingly paranoid Caracalla heard about it he would be executed: and so Macrinus struck first and had Caracalla assassinated. Macrinus ended the Parthian war by paying off the enemy, which did not endear him to the army especially since Caracalla was very popular with them. In addition, Julia Domna’s powerful sister Maesa was fomenting rebellion from her base in Emesa, putting about the rumor that her grandson Elagabalus, son of Julia Soaemias, was actually Caracalla’s son. In attempting to suppress the revolt Macrinus was defeated: he fled toward the west, where he probably would have had more support, but he was captured and executed in Asia Minor.
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