Pescennius Niger (193-194) - AR Denarius (Caesarea AD 193, 2.84 g, 19 mm) - IMP CAES PESC NIGR IVST AVG, laureate head right / VIRTVTI AVG, Virtus of Mars standing facing, resting on spear with right hand and shield in left (RIC 92, BMCRE 317) - a.VF
Second known. A variant of the two VIRTVTI AVG types of Niger in the standard catalogues, one of which shows Mars posed as on our coin, but in military dress not nude, and resting his shield on the ground rather than carrying it on his left arm (RIC-92, BMC pl. 14.7); while the other shows Mars naked and carrying his shield on his left arm as on our coin, but advancing right with his spear pointed diagonally ahead of him rather than standing left with his spear resting vertically on the ground (RIC-93, illustrated in R. Ratto, 8 February 1928, lot 3282). However, a coin like ours may have been known to T.V. Buttrey, who in 1992 included an obverse legend like ours with error NIGR in his list of Niger's obverse legends, and stated, without giving details, that he knew six reverse types of Niger with legend VIRTVTI AVG (Numismatic Chronicle 152, 1992, The President's Address, pp. viii and xii). Text thanks to Harlan Berk!
