Watch List notes:

Antoninus Pius. Sestertius; Antoninus Pius; 138-161 AD, Rome, 140-4 AD, Sestertius, 29.53g. Rev. legend var. (placement of S C) of BM-1273, C-686 (80 Fr.), and RIC-619. Obv: ANTONINVS AVG PI - VS P P TR P COS III Head laureate r. Rx: REX ARMENIIS - DATV - S around, S - C across lower middle field, Antoninus, togate, standing l., holding roll and placing tiara on head of Armenian king, who stands l. before him, raising his r. hand to adjust the tiara. Apparently only the second known specimen of this rare type with S C in the field rather than the exergue; Strack-851 reports only the variant with S C in exergue, and only that variant occurs in Berk photofile and CoinArchives Pro, with the single exception of Savoca 7, 28 February 2016, lot 490, where S - C is placed in the lower field, just above the groundline. Our example is a minor variant of that previously unique coin, with the S - C placed considerably higher in the field. No other source apart from this sestertius type informs us that Pius, sometime between 140 and 144 AD, gave the Armenians a king. According to Strack (p. 66), it is uncertain which Armenian king this was; possibly Aurelius Pacorus, known from the inscription IGR I, 222.This coin is an exceptional example of a very desirable type showing the Armenian king being crowned by Antoninus Pius. VF