Denarius - Pescennius Niger IVSTITIA AVGVSTI, Justitia

Pescennius Niger's bid for power lasted less than two years. Proclaimed emperor by his Syrian legions in 193 AD following the murder of Pertinax, he controlled the eastern provinces and struck coinage at Antioch to legitimize his claim before Septimius Severus crushed his forces at the Battle of Issus in 194 AD. His entire coinage output — compressed into that single desperate interval — is consequently rare across all types.

RIC 47C is among the scarcer of his denarius issues. Niger was captured shortly after Issus and executed; his coinage was never systematically demonetized, but the brevity of his rule did the work anyway.