200 AD. Rome mint. Obv: SEVERVS AVG PART MAX legend with laureate head right. Rev: VIRT AVGG legend with Roma standing left, holding Victory and spear, shield at feet. RIC 171a; RSC 761; Sear 6387.3.32 grams. ("). From the private collection of a retired Suffolk gentleman. Septimius oversaw some of ancient Rome's most famous building projects, including the great triumphal arch spanning the northern entrance to the Forum, commemorating his victories in the Parthian Wars; the Septizodium, a free-standing ornamental facade and nymphaeum near the Palatine Hill; additions to the Imperial Palace and restorations to Hadrian's Wall in Britain. He held secular games and his reign was a golden age of Roman jurisprudence. In 208 AD Septimius and his family set out for Britain, where the northern frontier required attention. In 209 AD three emperors- Severus, Geta and Caracalla- ruled together for the first time in the history of the Empire. Septimius Severus fell ill at the legionary fortress in York, where he died in 211 AD. [No Reserve]