IMP C M OPEL SEV MACRINVS AVG, laureate & cuirassed bust right / PONTIF MAX TR P COS P P, nude Jupiter standing left, holding thunderbolt & scepter. 19mm, 1.53 grams. RIC 15, RSC 55a, BMC 31.

The "limes denarii" are thought to be coins minted either officially or pseudo-officially on the fringes of the empire out of necessity. Issued during the Severan period, perhaps they were used to pay soldiers on the extreme frontiers of the Roman territories or maybe to bolster the economy of regions far from the normal means of monetary distribution. Termed "limes" (for "border" in latin) they may also be officially sanctioned issues for use in regions where political unrest made it hazardous to ship large amounts of silver. These low value issues could have served troops on the front and been redeemable for good coinage when they returned to the stable regions.

Ex-CNG