Heritage World Coin Auctions
ANA Signature Sale 3056 3 Aug 2017
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Nero (AD 54-68). AV aureus (19mm, 7.20 gm, 7h). NGC Choice Fine 5/5 - 3/5. Rome, AD 65-68. NERO CAESAR AVGVSTVS, laureate head of Nero right / IVPPITER CVSTOS, Jupiter enthroned left, holding thunderbolt and scepter. RIC 52. BMCRE 67. Cohen 118. Calicó 412a. Reddish toning in fields; quite attractive for grade.
Although we have no documentation confirming this, it seems quite likely the 40 Roman gold aurei in the Golden Gate Collection were found in a single group, perhaps in Israel; whether this was the entirety of the find or just a portion of it is not known. The first three coins are aurei of Nero, all showing considerable signs of circulation. Nero gold aurei are among the most commonly found coins in gold hoards of the later first and second centuries, perhaps because so many were struck following Nero's monetary "reform" (or debasement) of circa AD 63-64, in which earlier gold aurei averaging 7.8 grams were recalled, melted down and restruck on a lighter weight standard of about 7.2 grams. Nero aurei seemed to have a greater "velocity of circulation," trading hands frequently in far-flung corners of the Empire, than coins of most other rulers, and remained in heavy use for centuries. The single gold coin found at the remote fortress of Vindolanda on Hadrian's Wall in northern Britain was a heavily worn aureus of Nero.
HID02901242017
Estimate: 1500-1800 USD
Nero (AD 54-68). AV aureus (19mm, 7.20 gm, 7h). NGC Choice Fine 5/5 - 3/5. Rome, AD 65-68. NERO CAESAR AVGVSTVS, laureate head of Nero right / IVPPITER CVSTOS, Jupiter enthroned left, holding thunderbolt and scepter. RIC 52. BMCRE 67. Cohen 118. Calicó 412a. Reddish toning in fields; quite attractive for grade.
Although we have no documentation confirming this, it seems quite likely the 40 Roman gold aurei in the Golden Gate Collection were found in a single group, perhaps in Israel; whether this was the entirety of the find or just a portion of it is not known. The first three coins are aurei of Nero, all showing considerable signs of circulation. Nero gold aurei are among the most commonly found coins in gold hoards of the later first and second centuries, perhaps because so many were struck following Nero's monetary "reform" (or debasement) of circa AD 63-64, in which earlier gold aurei averaging 7.8 grams were recalled, melted down and restruck on a lighter weight standard of about 7.2 grams. Nero aurei seemed to have a greater "velocity of circulation," trading hands frequently in far-flung corners of the Empire, than coins of most other rulers, and remained in heavy use for centuries. The single gold coin found at the remote fortress of Vindolanda on Hadrian's Wall in northern Britain was a heavily worn aureus of Nero.
HID02901242017
Estimate: 1500-1800 USD