Otacilia Severa ADVENTVS Hybrid Antoninianus Replica | Hand-Struck Silver Coin

Why collectors buy this piece

• Combines two historically authentic design elements from the coinage of Philip I and Otacilia Severa
• Features the distinctive portrait of Otacilia Severa, wife and Augusta of Philip I
• Reverse reproduces Philip I’s ADVENTVS AVGG horseback type, celebrating imperial arrival
• An interesting example of modern hybrid coinage created from genuine third-century Roman designs
• Strong appeal for collectors interested in Otacilia Severa, Philip the Arab, imperial women, and unusual fantasy types
• The female antoninianus portrait is set on the characteristic crescent associated with the denomination
• Faithfully reproduced using traditional hand-struck methods in sterling silver
• Each coin is intentionally irregular — like traditionally struck coinage

Best suited for collectors interested in Otacilia Severa, the family of Philip I, third-century Roman coinage, and modern hybrid interpretations of authentic ancient designs.

Overview & Craftsmanship

This Otacilia Severa ADVENTVS antoninianus is a hand-struck sterling silver replica of a modern hybrid design rather than a direct reproduction of a single documented ancient Roman issue.

The obverse reproduces an authentic Otacilia Severa antoninianus portrait type: the empress appears diademed and draped to right, set on a crescent, with the legend M OTACIL SEVERA AVG.

The reverse instead derives from the coinage of her husband Philip I. It depicts Philip riding left on horseback, raising his right hand in a gesture of arrival or greeting and holding a long sceptre beneath the legend ADVENTVS AVGG. On genuine ancient antoniniani this reverse is catalogued for Philip I as RIC IV.3 26b.

The resulting Otacilia / ADVENTVS pairing is therefore historically inspired but not an official ancient die combination.

Each piece is individually struck by hand rather than cast, preserving an irregular flan, varied relief, and surface character. Unlike machine-pressed copies, traditionally struck replicas retain the individuality and visual texture associated with hammered coinage.

Historical & Numismatic Background

• Marcia Otacilia Severa was the wife of Emperor Philip I, commonly known as Philip the Arab, and held the title Augusta during his reign from 244 to 249 AD.
• Her coinage forms an important part of the dynastic program of Philip’s family. Genuine antoniniani of Otacilia show her diademed and draped bust set on a crescent, a visual convention used for female portraits on the double-denarius denomination.
• Authentic Otacilia antoniniani carry reverse types such as CONCORDIA AVGG, IVNO CONSERVAT, PIETAS AVGVSTAE, PVDICITIA AVG, and the Saecular Games issues.
• The ADVENTVS AVGG horseback reverse used on this replica belongs instead to the coinage of Philip I. Genuine examples show the emperor riding left, raising his right hand and holding a long sceptre.
• ADVENTVS was the Roman ceremonial concept of an emperor’s arrival or return to a city. Such scenes became an important part of imperial visual language, presenting the ruler’s entrance as a formal and politically significant event.
• The Philip I ADVENTVS AVGG antoninianus is generally associated with the early years of his reign following his return from the eastern campaign after the death of Gordian III.
• The plural AVGG, an abbreviation of Augustorum, belongs to the dynastic language of Philip’s imperial household and appears repeatedly across the family’s coinage.
• Although Otacilia herself did not officially receive this ordinary antoninianus reverse in the documented Roman series, the combination of her portrait with Philip’s ADVENTVS type creates an interesting modern hybrid connecting the empress directly with the imperial arrival imagery of her husband’s reign.

Numismatic References:

There is no ancient RIC reference for the exact hybrid combination.

The reverse prototype is documented as:

Philip I

– RIC IV.3 26b

– Cohen 3

– RSC 3

The obverse portrait and legend M OTACIL SEVERA AVG occur on genuine Otacilia Severa antoniniani of the Rome mint.

Technical Details & Variations

Type: Otacilia Severa / Philip I ADVENTVS hybrid antoninianus replica

Denomination represented: Antoninianus-style replica

Obverse subject: Otacilia Severa

Reverse prototype: Philip I ADVENTVS AVGG antoninianus

Historical period represented: Reign of Philip I, 244–249 AD

Material: Sterling silver (AR)

Weight: approx. 4-5 g

Dimensions: approx. 20-21 mm

Manufacturing method: Hand-struck (hammered)

Obverse: Diademed and draped bust of Otacilia Severa right, set on crescent
Legend:
M OTACIL SEVERA AVG

Reverse: Philip I riding left on horseback, raising right hand and holding long sceptre
Legend:
ADVENTVS AVGG

Due to the traditional hand-striking process, variations in weight, diameter, strike, and surface are expected.

Intended Use

Suitable for:

– collectors of ancient and historical coinage

– academic or educational reference

– museum or exhibition display

– historically accurate reenactment

– high-quality numismatic gifts

Replica Disclaimer

This item is a modern, hand-struck hybrid replica combining an Otacilia Severa obverse with an ADVENTVS AVGG reverse officially associated with Philip I. The exact obverse/reverse combination is not documented as an authentic ancient Roman antoninianus.

Explore related Otacilia Severa and Philip I coin pages:

• See the Otacilia Severa sestertius replica
• See the Philip I Ludi Saeculares sestertius replica
• Browse antoninianus and late Roman silver coin replicas