Macrinus, 217 – 218. Aureus April–December 217, AV 21 mm, 7.23 g. IMP C M OPEL SEV MACRINVS AVG Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust r. Rev. PONTIF MAX T – R P COS P P Jupiter standing l., holding thunderbolt in r. hand and sceptre in l. C – . BMC 30. RIC 16. Calicó 2949. Very rare. A very attractive portrait struck in high relief, good extremely fineGraded Ch AU, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 4/5 – Fine Style, brushed, NGC photo certificate number 8585627-001 Ex SKA 31, 1980, 130; NAC 8, 1995, 886; NAC 24, 2002, European Nobleman, 153; NAC 54, 2010, 509; Rauch 103, 2017, 449; NGSA 20, 2024, 1047 and MDC 18, 2026, 244 sales. Macrinus, who was of Berber origin, was Rome's first emperor of equestrian background and was Rome's only emperor to hail from Mauretania. He was a prominent jurist and bureaucrat, such that when Caracalla ascended the throne upon the death of Septimius Severus he made Macrinus his praetorian prefect. As commander of the imperial bodyguard, Macrinus was with the emperor in the East during Caracalla's preparations for his planned invasion of Parthia, and it was at Macrinus' instigation that Caracalla was assassinated by one of his own soldiers, Justin Martialis. After Caracalla's murder, Macrinus proclaimed himself emperor, assuming the titles and powers that came with the position of supreme leadership without awaiting confirmation from the Senate in Rome. This along with his less than noble origins (all previous emperors had hailed from the senatorial class) did not especially endear him to the Roman Senate. Furthermore, unlike his predecessor, Macrinus was more circumspect with the imperial finances. Where Caracalla had increased the soldiers' yearly pay from 2000 to 3000 sestertii, Macrinus decreed that any newly recruited soldiers would receive the salary that had existed before the increase. This is understandable given the dire situation of the State's finances, and was an absolute necessity given that Caracalla's expensive military campaigns had all but depleted the state's coffers. The veteran soldiers, however, saw this as the precursor to their own eventual reduction in pay and privileges, and when the opportunity presented they revolted. That opportunity came because Macrinus had made the mistake of freeing the extended family of Caracalla, allowing them to return to their hometown of Emesa. Still based at Antioch – Macrinus never had the opportunity to visit Rome after becoming emperor – his safety became jeopardized when the scheming aunt of Caracalla, Julia Maesa, used her vast wealth to secure the allegiance of the soldiers of the legio III Gallica, who were stationed at nearby Raphanea. They proclaimed Maesa's 14 year-old grandson, Elagabal, emperor, and the boy's tutor led the troops to engage Macrinus who fled the field of battle and was soon captured and executed. Please find here the video of the coin