Watch List notes:

JDL Collection Part II: Roman Coins
THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

GETA, September/October (?) 209 (or October 210)–

December 19 (or 26), 211/February 26, 212.
Sestertius, Rome 210, Æ 23.20 g.
Obv. IMP CAES P SEPT - GETA PIVS AVG His laureate bust right, paludamentum on left shoulder; border of dots.
Rev. PONTIF TR P II COS II Caracalla and Geta standing face to face and sacrificing over tripod; behind tripod,
flute-player standing facing and dead bull. In exergue, S C. Border of dots.
Literature
Cohen 145
BMC RE V, 401, 214
RIC IV/1, 337, 156a, pl. 59, 1
Banti 41
Ph. V. Hill, The Coinage of Septimius Severus and his Family of the Mint of Rome A.D. 193-217, London 1977, 1129 M.-M. Bendenoun, Coins of the Ancient World, A portrait of the JDL Collection, Tradart, Genève, 2009, 77 (this coin)
Condition
Rare and an interesting reverse composition. Brown–green patina and about extremely fine.

Provenance
Stack's, New-York 1980, lot 996. Former Knobolch collection.
From early 209 to early 211 the Severan family led a military campaign in the north of Britain against the Caledonians, an undertaking celebrated by this sestertius. Though the offensive was of strategic value, under normal circumstances it would have been handled by a frontier general. However, Dio and Herodian state that Septimius Severus viewed it as an oppor- tunity to remove his quibbling sons, Caracalla and Geta, from their idle lives of luxury in the capital. He hoped their involve- ment might instill discipline, and allow them to reconcile their differences by re-directing their energies to objects of impor- tance to the empire. Instead, it merely fanned their discontent by providing new ways to express their mutual hatred and distrust. The fact that Caracalla was in a command position throughout the war and Geta was relegated to administrative duties at York (Eboracum) could hardly have been expected to yield any other result.
The campaign perhaps had begun in 207, but the imperial family did not embark on their journey until 208, a year that had opened with Caracalla and Geta jointly assuming the consulship. Upon learning of the great Roman army that was arriving – led personally by the emperors – the Britons sued for peace, but their delegations were dismissed. Severus had no in- tention of missing what he believed was his last chance to gain military glory, and to earn a yet-uncollected title, Britannicus.
Geta had long lived in the shadow of his brother, who was less than a year older than him, yet who consistently received higher honors. Indeed, Geta was not raised from Caesar to Augus-
tus until after the family had established itself at York and had begun its campaign. The war appears to have had two distinct phases: the first, in 209, was led by Severus and Caracalla while Geta and his mother remained at York; the second, in 210, was led solely by Caracalla, with Severus by then being too ill to participate. Geta's promotion to Augustus occurred during one of the two phases of the campaign, and is generally thought to have occurred late in 209, though Birley suggests it happened about a year later, in October or November of 210. Regardless of when it occurred, it must have seemed a hollow and insincere gesture since his brother had held that title since 198.