Watch List notes:

The Roman Empire

Commodus, 177 – 192. Sestertius 183-184, Æ 27.25 g. M COMMODVS AN – TONINVS AVG PIVS Laureate head r. Rev. P M TR P VIIII IMP VI COS IIII P P S – C Hercules standing r., with lion's skin over l. shoulder, holding bow and resting r. hand on club set over ground. C 433. BMC 526. RIC 399a.
Very rare and in exceptional condition for the issue. A lovely untouched light green patina,
an insignificant area of weakness on reverse, otherwise extremely fine

Few Roman coins excite as much commentary as those of Commodus which show him possessed of Hercules. Not only do they present an extraordinary image, but they offer incontrovertible support to the literary record. The reports of Commodus' megalomania and infatuation with Hercules are so alarming and fanciful that if the numismatic record was not there to confirm, modern historians would almost certainly regard the literary record as an absurd version of affairs, much in the way reports of Tiberius' depraved behaviour on Capri are considered to be callous exaggerations. Faced with such rich and diverse evidence, there can be no question that late in his life Commodus believed Hercules was his divine patron. Indeed, he worshipped the demigod so intensely that he renamed the month of September after him, and he eventually came to believe himself an incarnation of the mythological hero.