Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Electronic Auction 514 20 Apr 2022
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Hadrian. AD 117-138. Æ Sestertius (33mm, 24.47 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck circa AD 120-122. Laureate heroic bust right, slight drapery / Lictor standing left, holding fasces, setting fire to heap of bonds with torch. RIC II.3 262; Banti 620. Light yellow-brown patina, green deposits, a few pits, scattered scuffs and scratches. VF. Rare.
From the Cloudesley Collection. Ex Spink (15 January 1957 - £5) with older tickets.
In July of AD 118 Hadrian made his first appearance in Rome as emperor to celebrate a Parthian triumph in the name of Trajan. He was quickly called away to Moesia to subdue the Sarmatians and Roxolani. While away, four high ranking senators – Lucius Quietus, Cornelius Palma, L. Publius Celsus and C. Avidius – were executed by the senate for an alleged conspiracy against Hadrian, despite a promise by Hadrian not to execute members of the Senate. To calm a suspicious public, Hadrian held a week long gladiatorial show, granted an extra public largesse, and, as this coin advertises, relinquished the public debt to the state equaling 900 million sestertii. This event culminated in an elaborate ceremony held in the Forum of Trajan where all records of these debts were set on fire.
From the Cloudesley Collection. Ex Spink (15 January 1957 - £5) with older tickets.
In July of AD 118 Hadrian made his first appearance in Rome as emperor to celebrate a Parthian triumph in the name of Trajan. He was quickly called away to Moesia to subdue the Sarmatians and Roxolani. While away, four high ranking senators – Lucius Quietus, Cornelius Palma, L. Publius Celsus and C. Avidius – were executed by the senate for an alleged conspiracy against Hadrian, despite a promise by Hadrian not to execute members of the Senate. To calm a suspicious public, Hadrian held a week long gladiatorial show, granted an extra public largesse, and, as this coin advertises, relinquished the public debt to the state equaling 900 million sestertii. This event culminated in an elaborate ceremony held in the Forum of Trajan where all records of these debts were set on fire.