Online Coins Auction #46

DIVO AUGUST. As. (Ae. 10.66g / 28mm). 22-30 AD Rome. Anv: DIVVS AVGVSTVS PATER. Rev: Altar closed by two doors, between UNC, below PROVIDENT. (RIC 81). VF.
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DIVO AUGUST. As. (Ae. 13.07g / 28mm). 98 AD Rome. Anv: DIVVS AVGVSTVS. Naked bust of Divo Augusto. Rev: IMP NERVA CAES AVG REST. Winged lightning. (RIC 130). XF. Retouched. Scarce specimen.

In the last year of Nerva's reign, this commemorative or posthumous coin is issued in the name of Augustus. It combines the portraits of both emperors on the front and back. In general, although it is not the case of the coin in question, the portrait of the Divo usually appears with a radiated crown. It should also be noted that pieces of this type were minted in the name of Divas, in the case of these, their faces are usually covered by a veil.
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ANTONIA. As. (Ae. 12.89g / 29mm). 41-42 AD Rome. Anv: ANTONIA AVGVSTA. Draped bust with hair gathered to the right of Antonia. Rev: TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG PM TR P IMP P P. Claudio shelf veiled to the left carrying symbol. (RIC 92). XF. Beautiful and rare specimen.

Younger daughter of Marco Antonio and Octavia, sister of Augusto and grandmother of Calígula, by whom it is believed she died poisoned, she was cited posthumously and in tribute to her son Claudio's monetary issues. Considered by many to be an essential figure in the transition between Republic and Empire, his most important direct intervention in state affairs came in AD 31 when he informed Tiberius of the conspiracy against him he was planning by letter of warning. the praetorian prefect L. Elio Sejano. After her death, her successors made her a priestess of the cult of Augustus with privileges of the Vestal Virgins.
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ANTONIA. As. (Ae. 9.40g / 26mm). 41-42 AD Rome. Anv: ANTONIA AVGVSTA. Draped bust of Antonia on the right. Rev: TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG PM TR P IMP. Claudio shelf to left holding symbol. (RIC 92). AU. Partially retouched. Very rare specimen, more so.
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NERON and DRUSO. Dupondio. (Ae. 17.20g / 28mm). 37-38 AD Rome. Ob: NERO DRVSVS CAESARES. Nero and Drusus on horseback to the right. Rev: UNC, around legend: C CAESAR AVG GERMANICVS PON M TR POT. (RIC 34). F. Fields reviewed. Scarce.
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CALIGULA. Sesterce. (Ae. 26.68g / 34mm). 37-38 AD Rome. Anv: C CAESAR AVG GERMANICVS PON M TR POT. Laureate bust of Caligula on the left. Rev: SPQR PP OB CIVES SERVATOS. Legend within laurea. (RIC 37). XF. Retouched. Specimen very well centered, scarce as well.

Despite his short tenure, ruling only four years, Caligula has the dubious honor, probably alongside Nero, of being one of the most ruthless and cruel emperors in the entire Empire. Paradoxically, his numismatics is of singular importance since from the iconographic point of view it exerted a clear influence on later reigns. The fact of representing a good part of his family on their coins (his father Germanicus or his mother Agrippina the eldest, for example) translates into an attempt to legitimize, through these, his place on the imperial throne and not so much, as many times you can think of a tribute to their parents.
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CALIGULA and DIVO AUGUST. Denarius. (Ar. 3.70g / 18mm). 37 BC Lugdunum. Anv: C CAESAR AVG GERM PM TR POT COS. Caligula nude bust on right. Rev: Radiated bust of Divo Augusto to the right between two six-pointed stars. (RIC 2). XF. Beautiful and very rare specimen.
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CLAUDIUS. As. (Ae. 15.21g / 30mm). 41-50 AD Rome. Anv: TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG PM TR P IMP. Naked bust of Claudio on the left. Rev: CERES AVGVSTI. Ceres seated right holding spike and torch, in exergue UNC. (RIC 94). AU.
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CLAUDIUS. Sesterce. (Ae. 25.92g / 36mm). 41-50 AD Rome. Anv: TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG PM TR P IMP. Laureate bust of Claudio on the right. Rev: EX UNC OB CIVES SERVATOS. Legend within laurea. (RIC 96). XF. Retouched.
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CLAUDIUS. Sesterce. (Ae. 27.49g / 36mm). 41-50 AD Rome. Anv: TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG PM TR P IMP. Laureate bust of Claudio on the right. Rev: EX UNC OB CIVES SERVATOS. Legend within laurea. (RIC 96). VF/ XF. Retouched.
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CLAUDIUS. Sesterce. (Ae. 27.82g / 35mm). 41-42 AD Rome. Anv: TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG PM TR P IMP. Laureate bust of Claudio on the right. Rev: EX UNC OB CIVES SERVATOS. Legend within laurea. (RIC 96). AU. Fields reviewed. Scarce.

Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanic… fourth Roman emperor of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty and probably the most forgotten and enigmatic of all the first emperors of Rome. Enigmatic because behind some obvious physical defects and a marked stuttering, there was hiding an intelligent and efficient emperor who managed to survive his nephew, Caligula himself. Gaius Suetonius defined it as follows:
“His person showed a certain aspect of greatness and dignity, whether standing or sitting, but above all at rest, since he was tall and slender, he had a beautiful face, beautiful white hair, and a robust neck; But when he walked, his unsteady legs made him stagger, and when he spoke, both jokingly and seriously, he was ugly at his defects: an unpleasant laugh, an even more repulsive anger, which made him foam at the mouth, a runny nose, a unbearable babbling and a continual shaking of the head that grew as he engaged in any business, however insignificant it might be.

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NERO. Dupondio. (Ae. 7.77g / 25mm). 64 AD Rome. Anv: NERO CLAVD CAESAR AVG GER PM TR P IMP P P. Radiated bust to the right of Nero. Rev: GENIO AVGVSTI. Genie shelf to left carrying cornucopia and patera on altar, between UNC. (RIC 124). XF. Contemporary patina. Scarce.
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NERO. Dupondio. (Ae. 15.25g / 29mm). 64 AD Rome. Anv: NERO CLAVD CAESAR AVG GER PM TR P IMP P P. Radiated bust to the right of Nero. Rev: Facade of the Macellum Magnum, between UNC, above MAC AVG. (RIC 184). VF. Fields reviewed.
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NERO. As. (Ae. 7.25g / 24mm). 64 AD Rome. Anv: NERO CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG GERMANI. Laureate bust to the right of Nero. Rev: GENIO AVGVSTI. Genie shelf to left carrying cornucopia and patera on altar, between UNC. (RIC 214). VF. Retouched.
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NERO. As. (Ae. 14.41g / 31mm). 66 AD Rome. Anv: NERO CAESAR AVG GERM IMP. Laureate bust to the right of Nero. Rev: PACE PR VBIQ PARTA IANVM CLVSTI. Temple of Jano, between UNC. (RIC 349). VF. Contemporary patina.
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NERO. Dupondio. (Ae. 14.33g / 30mm). 68 AD Rome. Ob: IMP NERO CAESAR AVG P MAX TR P P. Laureate bust to the left of Nero. Rev: VICTORIA AVGVSTI. Victoria shelf to left carrying palm and crown, between UNC. (RIC 523). XF.
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NERO. Sesterce. (Ae. 26.99g / 35mm). 64 AD Rome. Ob: NERO CLAVD CAESAR AVG GER PM TR P IMP P P. Laureate bust to the left of Nero. Rev: Triumphal Arch with Nero in front of the chariot accompanied by Peace and Victory. (RIC 144). VF. Scarce.
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NERO. Sesterce. (Ae. 26.44g / 35mm). 64 AD Lugdunum. Ob: NERO CLAVD CAESAR AVG GER PM TR P IMP P P. Laureate bust to the left of Nero. Rev: Nero in military garb carrying spear on top of horse on the right, next to him, rider carrying a banner on the right. (RIC 168). XF. Beautiful and rare specimen. Fields reviewed.
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NERO. Sesterce. (Ae. 24.86g / 35mm). 65 AD Rome. Ob: NERO CLAVD CAESAR AVG GER PM TR P IMP P P. Laureate bust of Nero on the right, below globe. Rev: PACE PR TERRA MARIQ PARTA IANVM CLVSIT. Temple of Jano from the front, between UNC. (RIC 264). XF. Retouched.
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NERO. Sesterce. (Ae. 26.66g / 35mm). 65 AD Lugdunum. Anv: NERO CLAVD CAESAR AVG GER PM TR P IMP P P. Laureate bust to the right of Nero. Rev: CONG DAT POP. Nero seated on the platform, in front of the officer offering congiarum to a citizen on the stairs with a child behind, in the background Minerva holding an owl and spear next to Libertas holding Tesera. (RIC 434). VF. Retouched obverse. Very rare specimen.

Suetonius says that "Nero was born in Anzio, nine months after the death of Tiberius, on the 18th of the calends of January at sunrise." The last emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and one of the Roman emperors with the worst “press” in the entire history of the Empire. Persecutions on Christians, burning of Rome in 64 AD, various murders, among them that of his British brother or his mother Agrippina, are some of the accusations that history has traditionally launched against him. Good guilt for this fame comes from the writings of contemporary and / or later historians such as the aforementioned Suetonius, Tacitus or Dion Cassius who presented the emperor as a true tyrant. It should be noted that this traditional and simple interpretation has been and is currently being questioned, or at least, there is a current that also presents us with another aspect of the figure of the emperor, that of a leader loved by the popular classes, concerned for culture, the arts or sports events.
From a strictly economic or numismatic point of view, under the government of Nero a major monetary reform was carried out in AD 64 that aimed to expand the nominal supply of money to avoid the insolvency of the state. Basically its reform focused on reducing the theoretical weight of both the golden and the denarius, as well as the purity of the latter and putting the subsidiary denominations in orichalcum into circulation. This last measure was abandoned shortly thereafter as this type of coin was never accepted by the people, but the first two remained and survived through the years.
Regarding the style of the portraits coined in the different pieces, these evolve, in a clear process of artistic realism, from that of a young man, already obese, and laureate with a civic crown, to that of an adult with harsh features in recent years of reign.
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NERON and DIVO CLAUDIUS. Drachm. (Ar. 6.52g / 22mm). 63-65 AD Cappadocia, Caesaraea-Eusebia. Ob: NERO CLAVD DIVI CAESAR AVG GERMA. Laureate bust to the right of Nero. Rev: DIVOS CLAVDIVS AVGVST GERMANIC PATER AVG. Laureate bust to the right of Divo Claudio. (RIC 622; RPC 3648). VF. Beautiful and rare specimen.
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NERO. Denarius. (Ar. 3.36g / 18mm). 65-66 AD Rome. Ob: NERO CAESAR AVGVSTVS. Laureate bust to the right of Nero. Rev: VESTA. Six column temple of Vesta domed with statue of Vesta in front with patera and scepter. (RIC 62). VF. Scarce.
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GALBA. As. (Ae. 10.27g / 29mm). 68 AD Tarraco. Anv: SER GALBA IMP CAESAR AVG PM TR PP P. Laureate bust of Galba on the right. Rev: QVADRAGENSVMA REMISSA. Triumphal Arch with two equestrian statues above left, in exergue UNC. (RIC does not quote; Cohen 167). F. Very rare specimen.
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GALBA. Sesterce. (Ae. 24.24g / 36mm). 68 AD Rome. Ob: IMP SER SVLPIC GALBA CAES AVG TR P. Draped laureate bust of Galba on the right. Rev: LIBERTAS PVBLICA. Libertas shelf to the left carrying crown and scepter, between UNC. (RIC 310). VF. Retouched.

Between the middle of AD 68 and the end of AD 69, what is known as the year of the four emperors occurs. And it is that after the death of Nero there is a period of instability and small civil wars that present us with different candidates to occupy the imperial scepter. The first of them was Galba, governor of the province of Tarraconensis whom contemporary writers presented as a person of advanced age but destined from cradle to be emperor. Suetonius wrote that Galba's accession to the throne was not entirely popular: “His power and prestige were far greater when he assumed power of the Empire than after; despite offering sufficient proof of his ability to govern, he got less praise for his good deeds than blame for his mistakes.
Regarding his coinage, his portraits are severe and sober, not trying to hide the damage that age had already done on his face. It should be noted, by way of anecdote, that Galba is one of the few emperors of whom we have evidence that he was bald, never being represented in this way in any of his minted coins.
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GALBA. Denarius. (Ar. 3.37g / 18mm). 68 AD Tarraco. Anv: GALBA IMP. Galba laureate bust on the left, below globe. Rev: ROMA RENASCENS. Roma in short tunic and helmet on the right, carrying Victoria and spear. (RIC 25). VF. Beautiful and rare specimen.
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GALBA. Denarius. (Ar. 3.25g / 20mm). 68-69 AD Rome. Anv: IMP SER GALBA CAESAR AVG. Laureate and draped bust of Galba on the right. Rev: SALVS GEN HVMANI. Salus walking left towards the altar carrying a boat and a rudder. (RIC 214). XF. Nice and scarce as well.
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AULUS VITELLIS. Denarius. (Ar. 3.73g / 19mm). 69 AD Rome. Ob: A VITELLIVS GERMAN IMP AVG TR P. Bust laureate to the right of Vitellius. Rev: CONCORDIA PR. Concordia seated to the left carrying a patera leaning her left elbow on a cornucopia. (RIC 90). VF.
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AULUS VITELLIS. Denarius. (Ar. 3.00g / 17mm). 69 AD Rome. Anv: A VITELLIVS GERM IMP TR P. Vitellius laureate bust on the right. Rev: XV VIR SACR FAC. Tripod with container covered with dolphin on top and raven below. (RIC 109). F. Scarce.
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AULUS VITELLIS. Denarius. (Ar. 3.49g / 19mm). 69 AD Rome. Anv: A VITELLIVS GERM IMP AVG TR P. Bust laureate to the right of Vitellius. Rev: LIBERTAS RESTITVTA. Libertas shelf to the right carrying crown and certo. (RIC 105). VF. Beautiful and rare specimen.

Along with Galba, Vespasian and Otto, Vitellius is the fourth emperor, third in chronological order, of the well-known year of the four emperors (69 AD) and although he was appointed emperor by the legions of Lower Germania who refused to recognize Galba It was not until his death and Otto's death that he was officially recognized as emperor. His mandate lasted from April 17, 69 AD to December 22 of that same year. He was the first emperor to add the honorific cognomen of Germanicus without including that of Caesar.
He stood out for a successful and somewhat atypical military career, after the consulate in 57 AD he was appointed Arvale priest and then in 60 AD he was appointed proconsul of Africa; his military career had a turning point with the unexpected appointment by Galba as commander of the army of the Lower Germania.
The portraits in Vitellius' coin, due to his brevity on the throne, follow the line set by Galba, realism and few concessions to any type of formal idealization but always within very high standards of quality and refinement.
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VESPASIAN. Dupondio. (Ae. 26.26g / 35mm). 71 AD Lugdunum. Ob: IMP CAESAR VESPASIAN AVG COS III. Bust radiated to the right of Vespasian. Rev: PAX AVG. Paz shelf to the left carrying patera on altar, caduceus and palm, between UNC. (RIC 1144). VF. Reviewed. Beautiful specimen.
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VESPASIAN. Sesterce. (Ae. 23.00g / 32mm). 80-81 AD Rome. Anv: Vespasian seated on the right with Victory on a chariot drawn by an elephant chariot, above: DIVO AVG VESP, in exergue: SPQR. Rev: UNC, around legend: IMP T CAES DIVI VESP F AVG PM TR PPP COS VIII. (RIC 258). F. Retouched. Scarce.
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VESPASIAN. Sesterce. (Ae. 20.01g / 34mm). 72 AD Lugdunum. Anv: IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG PM TR PPP COS III. Laureate bust on the right. Rev: CAESAR AVG F DES IMP AVG F COS DES IT. Titus and Domitian front shelves both holding spear and dagger, between UNC. (RIC 143). VG. Retouched. Rare.
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VESPASIAN. Sesterce. (Ae. 26.14g / 36mm). 72 AD Lugdunum. Anv: IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG PM TR PPP COS IIII. Vespasian laureate bust to the right. Rev: T IMP AVG F COS II CAESAR DOMITIANVS AVG F COS DESG II. Titus and Domitian front shelves both holding spear and dagger, between UNC. (RIC 1185). VF. Very rare specimen.

The founder of the Flavian dynasty had behind him, and at the age of sixty, a brilliant military career that was what prompted him to be proclaimed emperor. His ten-year tenure in office meant re-ordering public finances, establishing peace on the borders as well as initiating major public works (after the fire that devastated Rome), including the construction of the well-known Roman Colosseum. .
Portraits appear on his coins that are, artistically, a continuity of the line established by Galba: uncompromising realism, severe lines and the absence of superfluous ornaments. It is worth highlighting the care in the representation of the hairstyles, both in those of the emperor, with a solid head, and in those of his wife Flavia Domitila, who despite her very humble origin ended up having the posthumous title of Augusta.
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TITUS. Sesterce. (Ae. 25.07g / 34mm). 80-81 AD Rome. Anv: IMP T CAES VESP AVG PM TR PP COS VIII. Vespasian laureate bust to the left. Rev: PAX AVGVST. Pax shelf to left carrying branch and cornucopia holding drape, between UNC. (RIC 158). VF. Retouched.
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TITUS. Sesterce. (Ae. 23.75g / 33mm). 72-73 AD Rome. Anv: T CAESAR VESPASIAN IMP IIII PON TR POT II COS II. Laureate bust to the right of Titus. Rev: Titus stands on the right over a chariot drawn by a triumphal chariot. (RIC 498). VF/ F. Retouched. Very rare specimen.

Despite his short mandate, he was only Roman emperor for two years, between AD 79 and 81, and that under this, several calamities occurred that have gone down in history such as the eruption of Vesuvius and the great fire that devastated Rome. The truth is that he is an emperor whom historiography always treated well: with great kindness and generosity, he enjoyed enormous popularity, among other things, for the reconstruction work he carried out in devastated Rome. Regarding his numismatics, in a first stage the portrait follows the line of his predecessor, Vespasian, but later the features seem to soften somewhat, although within a realism that does not forgive, for example, the certain forcefulness of his physique.
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JULIA TITI. Dupondio. (Ae. 12.47g / 28mm). 80-81 AD Rome. Anv: IVLIA IMP T AVG AVGVSTA. Draped bust with bow on the right of Julia Titi. Rev: CERES AVGVSTI. Ceres shelf to left holding spikes and scepter. (RIC 392). XF. Contemporary patina. Very rare specimen.

Or also known as Julia Flavia, she was the only daughter of Emperor Tito and his second wife Furnilla. A woman of great beauty ended up being the lover of her uncle Domitian who, once emperor, had her husband, Sabino, assassinated to make a marital life with her.
The coins in which Julia Flavia appears maintain realism as their main hallmark but without hiding a certain sweetness on her feminine face.
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DOMITIAN. Sesterce. (Ae. 23.95g / 37mm). 92-94 AD Rome. Anv: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM COS XV CENS PER P P. Laureate bust of Domitian on the right. Rev: Domitian holding thunderbolt and scepter, behind Victoria holding palm, in exergue UNC. (RIC 752). AU. Retouched. Scarce.
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DOMITIAN. Denarius. (Ar. 3.06g / 18mm). 88 AD Rome (Secular Games). Anv: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM PM TR P VIII. Laureate bust of Domitian on the right. Rev: Column with inscription: LVD / SAEC / FEC, between COS XIIII. (RIC 604). AU. Beautiful and rare specimen in this quality.
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DOMITIAN. Denarius. (Ar. 3.42g / 20mm). 76-77 AD Rome. Anv: CAESAR AVG F DOMITIANVS. Laureate bust to the right of Domitian. Rev: Pegasus on the right, above: COS IIII. (RIC 921). AU. Beautiful rare specimen as well. Nice and light iridescent tone.
On September 14, 81, Domitian was appointed emperor, as well as maximum pontiff and pater patriae. He continued the reconstruction work of his predecessor and brother Titus and was the last exponent of the Flavian dynasty. He made the Senate an obsolete institution by concentrating governmental powers in his hands. In his opinion the Empire should be governed by a divine monarchy led by him ... the step towards despotism was a fact. In his coin, he continues an artistic style inspired by the portraits of his predecessors, where realism prevails as a trend when sculpting coins. The money of Domitian and the Flavian dynasty, in general, marks a turning point in terms of quality. From his successor, Trajano, a decrease in the artistic level can be verified. Perhaps the existence of a new school in the workshop in Rome was the cause of the changes, among which, above all, less accentuated and rounded features stand out.
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NERVA. Dupondio. (Ae. 14.43g / 29mm). 97 AD Rome. Ob: IMP NERVA CAESAR AVG PM TR P COS II P P. Radiated bust to the right of Nerva. Rev: CONCORDIA EXERCITVM. Clasped hands holding eagle on bow, between UNC. (RIC 81). XF. Fields reviewed.
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NERVA. Denarius. (Ar. 3.29g / 19mm). 97 AD Rome. Anv: IMP NERVA CAES AVG PM TR POT. Laureate bust of Nerva on the right. Rev: COS III PATER PATRIAE. Religious elements: Simulus, Aspergillus, Guttus and Lithuan. (RIC 24). AU. Exceptional, very rare specimen in this quality.

Between the governments of Domitian and Trajan is Nerva, who in just two years considerably improved relations with the Senate and established the imperial succession instead of hereditary, being traditionally considered as a model of civic virtues. Once he acceded to the imperial throne, the Roman Senate approved a "dammatio memoriae" towards Domitian having his coins melted, his statues demolished and his name erased from all public places. Nerva is considered by much of current historiography as one of the so-called five good emperors, a name already proposed by Machiavelli himself and which includes five members of the Antonine dynasty as they are, apart from the aforementioned Nerva, Trajano, Adriano, Antonino Pío and Marco Aurelio.
Regarding the portrait of his coins, a clear realism is appreciated where we can see, unambiguously, their angular features, accentuated by their thinness and the traces of age.
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TRAJAN. Sesterce. (Ae. 25.93g / 33mm). 101-102 AD Rome. Anv: IMP CAES NERVA TRAIAN AVG GER MP M. Laureate bust to the right of Trajan. Rev: TR POT COS II P P. Paz seated on the left carrying branch and scepter, in exergue UNC. (RIC 401). VF. Retouched.
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TRAJAN. Sesterce. (Ae. 23.24g / 31mm). 103-111 AD Rome. Anv: IMP CAES NERVAE TRAIANO AVG GER DAC PM TR P COS VP P. Laureate bust with light draping on Trajan's left to right shoulder. Rev: SPQR OPTIMO PRINCIPI. Abundance giving child, with another behind, to Trajano seated on the left carrying spear, in exergue ALIM ITAL. (RIC 461). VF. Retouched. Scarce.
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TRAJAN. Sesterce. (Ae. 23.25g / 34mm). 104 / 5-107 AD Rome. Anv: IMP CAES NERVAE TRAIANO AVG GER DAC PM TR P COS VP P. Laureate bust with light draping on Trajan's left to right shoulder. Rev: SPQR OPTIMO PRINCIPI. Trajan in military garb carrying spear on horseback to right over Dacia. (RIC 534 var). XF. Beautiful and rare specimen like that.
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TRAJAN. Sesterce. (Ae. 19.50g / 33mm). 116-117 AD Rome. Anv: IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG DAC PARTHICO PM TR P COS VI P P. Laureate and draped bust to the right of Trajan. Rev: ARMENIA ET MESOPOTAMIA IN POTESTATEM PR REDACTAE. Trajan laureate with military garb on the right carrying spear and dagger, behind Armenia seated on the right, in front Tigris and Euphrates reclined on the right looking at each other, between UNC. (RIC 642). VF. Contemporary patina. Rare.
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TRAJAN. Sesterce. (Ae. 25.52g / 36mm). 103-111 AD Rome. Anv: IMP CAES NERVAE TRAIANO AVG DAC PM TR P COS VP P. Laureate bust with slight draping over left to right shoulder of Trajan. Rev: SPQR OPTIMO PRINICIPI. Temple of eight columns, in pediment Jupiter seated between two figures, 5 figures on the roof, between the columns Peace shelf in front, in exergue UNC. (RIC 575). XF. Beautiful rare specimen in this spectacular quality.

Trajan was not only one of the emperors who minted the most coins in the entire empire. He was also one of the leaders who best knew how to see the vein that coins could represent in his political propaganda. And there are many examples: from the first coined with the letters UNC, where he tries to make it clear that it was the Senate itself who conferred power on him, to the legend "Arabia Acquisita", coined when in 105 AD it annexed Arabia Pétrea ", with the The objective was that the population was aware of the extension of the Empire's territory.The same procedure was used with the coins from 116 to 117 AD when Armenia and Mesopotamia were annexed.
As has already been commented, in the monetary portraits of Trajano a decrease in the artistic level can be verified with respect to those of his predecessors. Some point out that perhaps a new school in the Rome workshop produced works in which the features are not very accentuated and rounded. Paradoxically, in the female portraits of the imperial family a greater care in detail is observed. Both in those of Plotina, the emperor's wife, and in those of Marciana, Trajan's sister, we can find examples of a remarkably superior artistic quality.
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TRAJAN. Denarius. (Ar. 3.10g / 18mm). 106-107 AD Rome. Anv: IMP TRAIANO AVG GER DAC PM TR P COS VP P. Laureate bust with slight draping on left to right shoulder of Trajano. Rev: SPQR OPTIMO PRINCIPI. Genie shelf to the left carrying patera on altar and cornucopia. (RIC 183). XF. Nice patina.
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HADRIAN. Sesterce. (Ae. 25.04g / 36mm). 117 AD Rome. Anv: IMP CAES CIVI TRAIAN AVG F TRAIAN HADRIANO PT AVG GER. Laureate bust with cuirass to the right of Adriano. Rev: DAC PARTHICO PM TR P COS P P. Concordia seated left carrying patera, between UNC, in exergue CONCORDIA. (RIC 535a). XF. Retouched.
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HADRIAN. Sesterce. (Ae. 22.69g / 33mm). 118 AD Rome. Anv: IMP CAESAR TRAIANVS HADRIANVS AVG. Laureate bust with light draping on the left shoulder. Rev: PONT MAX TR POT COS II. Salus sitting on the left feeding a patera snake, in exergue SALVS AVG UNC. (RIC 553). VF. Retouched.
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HADRIAN. Sesterce. (Ae. 23.65g / 34mm). 124 AD Rome. Anv: IMP CAESAR TRAIAN HADRIANVS AVG PM TR P COS III. Laureate bust with slight draping on left to right shoulder. Rev: PIETAS AVGVSTI. Pietas shelf to right holding incense on altar, between UNC. (RIC 587a). XF. Retouched.
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