POSTUMUS AE radiate 'double sestertius'. Failed overstrike on a Philip I sestertius. 'Small module', radiate bust of Postumus right, visible within Philip's head. Reverse - FIDES MILITVM (last two letters legible), top of Fides' head, the left standard, and part of the right standard visible. Undertype - IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG (entirely legible), laureate head of Philip right. Reverse - LIBERALITAS AVG II (BERALIT clearly legible), Liberalitas standing left, holding coin counter & cornucopia. Undertype RIC Philip 180, overtype Postumus RIC 123. 29mm, 16.3g
A very interesting type, which can almost be mistaken for an ordinary, messy Philip I sestertius at first glance. Further inspection, and the presence of a ghost head with radiate crown, reveals a surprise - the Philip I coin was overstruck by Postumus! Unusually, the 'top-type' uses a much smaller die, and the strike seems to have largely failed to take, leaving far more traces of the undertype than the top-type of Postumus.