Heritage World Coin Auctions
Long Beach Signature Sale 3042 17-18 Sep 2015
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Lucius Verus (AD 161-169). AV aureus (19mm, 6.83 gm, 7h). Rome, AD 163-164. L VERVS AVG ARMENIACVS, bare head of Verus right / TR P IIII IMP II COS II, Victory standing right, half-draped, affixing to a palm-tree a shield inscribed VIC / AVG. RIC 522. Cohen 248. Calicò 2174. Detailed strike, with an excellent portrait of this handsome ruler. NGC AU 5/5 - 4/5, Fine Style. Three decades of nearly universal peace for the Roman Empire ended in AD 162, when the Parthians invaded the Roman client state of Armenia and installed a puppet king. The Roman governor of Cappadocia attempted to deal with the invasion by leading a single legion (perhaps IX Hispana) into Armenia, but his army was trapped and massacred. The Romans were forced to assemble a large military task force to reverse this humiliation. The co-emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus determined that Marcus would remain in Rome while Lucius took charge of the huge army and march east to confront the Parthians. Lucius took with him a large military and administrative staff, including his favorite freedmen, two senators, and a large contingent of the Praetorian guard. The imperial cortege adopted a leisurely route to the east, hitting all of the famed luxury resorts along the way. Meanwhile, the legionary task force under the general Statius Priscus raced ahead, invaded Armenia and expelled the Parthians. The Armenian capital of Artaxata was captured and a Roman ex-consul of Arsacid-Armenian descent, C. Julius Sohaemus, was named as the new king of Armenia. Though his personal role in the campaign was negligible, Lucius adopted the agnomen 'Armeniacus,' a title boldly stated on the obverse legend of this pleasing gold aureus, issued in AD 163-164.
Estimate: 8000-10000 USD
Lucius Verus (AD 161-169). AV aureus (19mm, 6.83 gm, 7h). Rome, AD 163-164. L VERVS AVG ARMENIACVS, bare head of Verus right / TR P IIII IMP II COS II, Victory standing right, half-draped, affixing to a palm-tree a shield inscribed VIC / AVG. RIC 522. Cohen 248. Calicò 2174. Detailed strike, with an excellent portrait of this handsome ruler. NGC AU 5/5 - 4/5, Fine Style. Three decades of nearly universal peace for the Roman Empire ended in AD 162, when the Parthians invaded the Roman client state of Armenia and installed a puppet king. The Roman governor of Cappadocia attempted to deal with the invasion by leading a single legion (perhaps IX Hispana) into Armenia, but his army was trapped and massacred. The Romans were forced to assemble a large military task force to reverse this humiliation. The co-emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus determined that Marcus would remain in Rome while Lucius took charge of the huge army and march east to confront the Parthians. Lucius took with him a large military and administrative staff, including his favorite freedmen, two senators, and a large contingent of the Praetorian guard. The imperial cortege adopted a leisurely route to the east, hitting all of the famed luxury resorts along the way. Meanwhile, the legionary task force under the general Statius Priscus raced ahead, invaded Armenia and expelled the Parthians. The Armenian capital of Artaxata was captured and a Roman ex-consul of Arsacid-Armenian descent, C. Julius Sohaemus, was named as the new king of Armenia. Though his personal role in the campaign was negligible, Lucius adopted the agnomen 'Armeniacus,' a title boldly stated on the obverse legend of this pleasing gold aureus, issued in AD 163-164.
Estimate: 8000-10000 USD