Watch List notes:

The Roman Empire

Macrinus, 217 – 218. Denarius 217, AR 2.75 g. IMP C M OPEL SEV – MACRINVS AVG Laureate and cuirassed bust r. Rev. P M TR P – II COS P P Macrinus seated l. on curule chair, holding globe and short sceptre. C 51 var. (laureate, draped and cuirassed). BMC 49. RIC 27.
Light iridescent tone and good extremely fine

During the middle of the third century AD, the Roman Empire underwent a turbulent time. Excluding Severus Alexander (222-235), no emperor held power for very long, resulting in a dizzying array of portraits and themes on this period's coinage. During this time, one of the most interesting series of coins was issued between 250-251 by Trajan Decius (249-251). The coins are all Antoniniani and have two reverse types, altar and eagle, but only one reverse legend, CONSECRATIO. The principal aspect is present on the obverse, which bears the heads of the different divi: Augustus, Vespasian, Titus, Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius, Commodus, Septimius Severus and Severus Alexander. In the past, scholars had doubts as to whom to attribute this series to, issued by an Emperor of the mid-third century, according to the style. Cohen attributed the series to Gallienus and others have claimed Philip I but, with reason, Akerman guessed that the coins belonged to Trajan Decius. His hypothesis became certainty when in the Plevna Hoard consecration coins were found with no later emperor than Trajan Decius. Also in the great Dorchester Hoard, the weight of the coins of the divi was intermediate between the weights of the coins of Trajan Decius and Trebonianus Gallus. Analyzing these antoninianii, we notice that they are often struck on very light flans and overstruck on earlier denarii like the coins of Decius and his family. Few hybrids of this series occur with reverses of Decius and Gallus, but they are probably irregular issues and therefore have no serious value for dating. Thus, if we accept that the consecration series was inaugurated under Decius and continued for a time by Gallus, they must have began late in the reign of Decius, between 250-251 AD. If the Emperor is certain, there are still some doubts about the mint because some scholars are inclined to assign them to the mint of Rome, others to Milan or Viminacium.
An important observation is that the series bears some resemblance to the restored coins of Trajan. In general, we have to say that Trajan's restoration series differs from Decius' consecration series in two aspects. First of all, Decius' consecration coins are not restoration coins. Secondly, whereas Decius' series includes only consecration coins, Trajan's series includes, next to consecration coins, also other coins. Nevertheless, Decius' consecration series might refer to the consecration types within Trajan's restoration series. We have also to consider that Trajan and Decius were the only emperors to issue coin types referring to a considerable number of deified rulers and so, probably, Decius used this link with the optimus princeps as a means of legitimizing his power. Decius aligns himself to Trajan for propaganda reasons: adopting Trajan's name and his typology for the coins.
Even though the idea of using the image of deified rulers was adopted by a previous emperor, the practice of putting these eleven divi in one series of consecration coins was exceptional and innovative.