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March Signature Sale 3096 25-27 Mar 2021
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Ancients
Marcus Aurelius (AD 161-180). AE sestertius (33mm, 23.93 gm, 11h). NGC AU 5/5 - 3/5. Rome, AD 163-164. M•AVREL•ANTONINVS•-AVG ARMENIACVS P M, laureate, cuirassed bust of Marcus Aurelius right, seen from behind / TR P XVIII-IMP II COS III, Mars standing right, grounded spear in right hand, resting left hand on grounded shield; S-C across fields. RIC III 863. Deep green patina with chocolate highlights.
From the Paramount Collection. Ex UBS Gold & Numismatics, Auction 55 (16 September 2002), lot 1965; Leu Numismatik, Auction (October 1997), lot 402; Hess-Leu, Auction (April 1975), lot 378
Originally given the name Marcus Annius Verus, the future Marcus Aurelius was born in AD 121 into a patrician family of Spanish origin. A solemn and dutiful youth, Marcus Aurelius was noticed by the emperor Hadrian, who nicknamed him "Verissimus," or "most truthful one," an accurate reflection of his character. In AD 138, as Hadrian's terminal illness worsened, he formally adopted a solid, reliable senator, T. Aurelius Fulvius Boionius Antoninus, as his intended successor. Antoninus in turn adopted the 17-year-old Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, the son of Aelius Caesar; it is widely assumed Hadrian induced Antoninus to make these adoptions and thus secure the succession for another generation. Some historians have even concluded that the 52-year-old Antoninus was intended merely as a "placeholder" until the young Marcus Aurelius could come of age. At any rate, Antoninus succeeded smoothly to the throne in July AD 138 and raised Marcus Aurelius to the rank of Caesar in AD 139. The young man took an increasingly important role in his adoptive father's government for the next 22 years. This sestertius records his 18th year with the Tribunician power (AD 163-164) and shows him as a handsome man in his early 40s, with a head of loose curls and a fashionable "philosopher's beard." However, the reverse image of Mars prepared for war points to one shortcoming of his long apprenticeship in government; Antoninus failed to provide Marcus Aurelius with an army posting that would have gained him much-needed military experience. Although Antoninus's reign was almost entirely peaceful, the gathering storm clouds portended future troubles of a type for which Aurelius had no training.
https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/roman-imperial/ancients-marcus-aurelius-ad-161-180-ae-sestertius-33mm-2393-gm-11h-ngc-au-5-5-3-5/a/3096-30056.s?type=CoinArchives3096
HID02906262019
© 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Estimate: 800-1200 USD
Marcus Aurelius (AD 161-180). AE sestertius (33mm, 23.93 gm, 11h). NGC AU 5/5 - 3/5. Rome, AD 163-164. M•AVREL•ANTONINVS•-AVG ARMENIACVS P M, laureate, cuirassed bust of Marcus Aurelius right, seen from behind / TR P XVIII-IMP II COS III, Mars standing right, grounded spear in right hand, resting left hand on grounded shield; S-C across fields. RIC III 863. Deep green patina with chocolate highlights.
From the Paramount Collection. Ex UBS Gold & Numismatics, Auction 55 (16 September 2002), lot 1965; Leu Numismatik, Auction (October 1997), lot 402; Hess-Leu, Auction (April 1975), lot 378
Originally given the name Marcus Annius Verus, the future Marcus Aurelius was born in AD 121 into a patrician family of Spanish origin. A solemn and dutiful youth, Marcus Aurelius was noticed by the emperor Hadrian, who nicknamed him "Verissimus," or "most truthful one," an accurate reflection of his character. In AD 138, as Hadrian's terminal illness worsened, he formally adopted a solid, reliable senator, T. Aurelius Fulvius Boionius Antoninus, as his intended successor. Antoninus in turn adopted the 17-year-old Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, the son of Aelius Caesar; it is widely assumed Hadrian induced Antoninus to make these adoptions and thus secure the succession for another generation. Some historians have even concluded that the 52-year-old Antoninus was intended merely as a "placeholder" until the young Marcus Aurelius could come of age. At any rate, Antoninus succeeded smoothly to the throne in July AD 138 and raised Marcus Aurelius to the rank of Caesar in AD 139. The young man took an increasingly important role in his adoptive father's government for the next 22 years. This sestertius records his 18th year with the Tribunician power (AD 163-164) and shows him as a handsome man in his early 40s, with a head of loose curls and a fashionable "philosopher's beard." However, the reverse image of Mars prepared for war points to one shortcoming of his long apprenticeship in government; Antoninus failed to provide Marcus Aurelius with an army posting that would have gained him much-needed military experience. Although Antoninus's reign was almost entirely peaceful, the gathering storm clouds portended future troubles of a type for which Aurelius had no training.
https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/roman-imperial/ancients-marcus-aurelius-ad-161-180-ae-sestertius-33mm-2393-gm-11h-ngc-au-5-5-3-5/a/3096-30056.s?type=CoinArchives3096
HID02906262019
© 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Estimate: 800-1200 USD