Heritage World Coin Auctions
NYINC Signature Sale 3051 8-9 January 2017
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Divus Marcus Aurelius (died AD 180). AV aureus (19mm, 6.72 gm, 6h). NGC Choice AU 5/5 - 2/5, edge filed. Rome, under Commodus, after March 17, AD 180. DIVVS M AN-TONINVS PIVS, bare head of Marcus right / CONSE-CRATIO, four-tier funeral pyre, garlanded and adorned with statuary, surmounted by statue of Marcus Aurelius in triumphal quadriga. RIC (Commodus) 275. Cohen 96. BMCRE (Commodus) 26. Calicó 1834. Rare! Somewhat matte surfaces with a few light marks, otherwise an attractive piece struck from dies of pleasing style.
Though never very healthy, Marcus Aurelius reigned nearly two decades, much of the time enduring the rigors of combat under extreme and inclement conditions. Upon his death on March 17, AD 180 at the remote fortress of Vindobona, his son Commodus became sole Augustus and requested the deification of his late father. The Senate complied without demure. The Rome mint commenced a prodigious commemorative coinage for the late emperor, including this attractive gold aureus, depicting the elaborate funeral pyre upon which an effigy of Marcus Aurelius was cremated. Never again would the Roman Empire be ruled by such a moral, dutiful and conscientious man. As noted by the historian Cassius Dio, "history now descends from a kingdom of gold to one of iron and rust."
Estimate: 10000-13000 USD
Divus Marcus Aurelius (died AD 180). AV aureus (19mm, 6.72 gm, 6h). NGC Choice AU 5/5 - 2/5, edge filed. Rome, under Commodus, after March 17, AD 180. DIVVS M AN-TONINVS PIVS, bare head of Marcus right / CONSE-CRATIO, four-tier funeral pyre, garlanded and adorned with statuary, surmounted by statue of Marcus Aurelius in triumphal quadriga. RIC (Commodus) 275. Cohen 96. BMCRE (Commodus) 26. Calicó 1834. Rare! Somewhat matte surfaces with a few light marks, otherwise an attractive piece struck from dies of pleasing style.
Though never very healthy, Marcus Aurelius reigned nearly two decades, much of the time enduring the rigors of combat under extreme and inclement conditions. Upon his death on March 17, AD 180 at the remote fortress of Vindobona, his son Commodus became sole Augustus and requested the deification of his late father. The Senate complied without demure. The Rome mint commenced a prodigious commemorative coinage for the late emperor, including this attractive gold aureus, depicting the elaborate funeral pyre upon which an effigy of Marcus Aurelius was cremated. Never again would the Roman Empire be ruled by such a moral, dutiful and conscientious man. As noted by the historian Cassius Dio, "history now descends from a kingdom of gold to one of iron and rust."
Estimate: 10000-13000 USD