Kaisareia (AD 193-194) Drachm - Pescennius Niger

Pescennius Niger, 193-194 AD. AR Denarius - Drachm (2.46g, 18mm, 12h). Caesarea mint. IMP CAES C PESC NIGER IVST AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / ΔHMAPXI EΞ O VΠATOC, modius with grain ears. Fine, toned, porous, chipped at 12 o’clock from an attempted piercing. Very rare and important issue.

When Pescennius was proclaimed emperor by his troops in AD 193, he knew his reign as emperor would not be peaceful. He quickly set out to issue huge sums of denarii in his name to pay his troops and to win the loyalty of others. To do this, like so many before him, Pescennius reduced the fineness of his denarii to a point that they were equivalent to the Caesarean drachm. This coin provides a direct link to these events, combining a denarius obverse die and a drachm reverse die. This coin also presents clear evidence that both Antioch and Caesarea struck coins for Pescennius.