Philip I, 244-249. Denarius (Silver, 20 mm, 2.76 g, 7 h), Rome, 244. IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Philip I to right, seen from behind. Rev. PAX AETERNA Pax advancing left, holding olive branch in her right hand and long scepter in her left. Cohen -. Hunter -. RIC -. Apparently unpublished save for its previous auction appearance. An exceptional piece, beautifully preserved and arguably the finest known denarius of Philip I. Very minor weakness on the reverse, otherwise, extremely fine.


The massive output of silver coinage under Philip I belies the extreme rarity of his and his family's denarii, only a handful of which have survived. It is thus all the more exciting that the collection of Dipl.-Ing. Adrian Lang comprises examples for both Philip I and Otacilia Severa (lot 1397 below), as well as for their son, Philip II (lot 1402 below). It is worth noting that this piece, the magnificent denarius of Philip I, was struck from aureus dies: while the reverse die has yet to show up in gold, the obverse die is attested on an aureus with FIDES MILITVM on the reverse (R. Bland: The gold coinage of Philip I and family, in: RN 171 (2014), p. 115, 2a (die PI 03)).