Numismatica Ars Classica
Auction 138 18-19 May 2023
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Antoninus Pius augustus, 138 – 161.
Medallion circa 140-144, Æ 49.12 g. ANTONINVS AVG – PIVS P P TR P COS III Laureate head l. Rev. AVRELIVS CAES AVG P II F COS Bare head, draped and cuirassed bust r. C –. Gnecchi 2 and tav. Pl. 56, 2 (this obverse die).
Extremely rare and in exceptional condition for the issue, undoubtedly the finest specimens
in private hands and possibly the finest known. Two elegant portraits of excellent style
struck on a very large flan and a superb green patina. Extremely fine
Although Antoninus Pius succeeded Hadrian as emperor of Rome, he truly was third or fourth down the line of preference. Hadrian's first choice as successor was the nobleman Aelius, who was hailed Caesar in 136, but who died unexpectedly after a year in office. Hadrian then determined he would pass the throne to Aelius' son Lucius Verus - then only seven years old - and to the 17-year-old Marcus Aurelius, who was a distant relative and a close companion. In truth the middle-aged Antoninus Pius was merely a surrogate emperor in the eyes of Hadrian, and he remained truthful to his promise to act as guardian for Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus. Indeed, he was so faithful to the memory of Hadrian that he earned his surname "Pius" because he fought so diligently to convince the senate's to deify Hadrian. Over the years of his own principate, Antoninus Pius groomed both as his eventual successors, and thus continued the tradition of adoptive succession. He enjoyed a productive and mostly peaceful reign, and unlike Hadrian, who traveled extensively, Antoninus Pius never once left Italy in his twenty-two years on the throne. Unlike the great variety of Hadrian's coinage on which he celebrates his extensive travels, Antoninus' reverse types are localised, and on occasion they reflect the attention he paid to the betterment of Rome and Italy. This medaillon is one of his more interesting types, as it bears the portrait of Antoninus Pius on the obverse and that of his elder heir Marcus Aurelius on the reverse.
Medallion circa 140-144, Æ 49.12 g. ANTONINVS AVG – PIVS P P TR P COS III Laureate head l. Rev. AVRELIVS CAES AVG P II F COS Bare head, draped and cuirassed bust r. C –. Gnecchi 2 and tav. Pl. 56, 2 (this obverse die).
Extremely rare and in exceptional condition for the issue, undoubtedly the finest specimens
in private hands and possibly the finest known. Two elegant portraits of excellent style
struck on a very large flan and a superb green patina. Extremely fine
Although Antoninus Pius succeeded Hadrian as emperor of Rome, he truly was third or fourth down the line of preference. Hadrian's first choice as successor was the nobleman Aelius, who was hailed Caesar in 136, but who died unexpectedly after a year in office. Hadrian then determined he would pass the throne to Aelius' son Lucius Verus - then only seven years old - and to the 17-year-old Marcus Aurelius, who was a distant relative and a close companion. In truth the middle-aged Antoninus Pius was merely a surrogate emperor in the eyes of Hadrian, and he remained truthful to his promise to act as guardian for Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus. Indeed, he was so faithful to the memory of Hadrian that he earned his surname "Pius" because he fought so diligently to convince the senate's to deify Hadrian. Over the years of his own principate, Antoninus Pius groomed both as his eventual successors, and thus continued the tradition of adoptive succession. He enjoyed a productive and mostly peaceful reign, and unlike Hadrian, who traveled extensively, Antoninus Pius never once left Italy in his twenty-two years on the throne. Unlike the great variety of Hadrian's coinage on which he celebrates his extensive travels, Antoninus' reverse types are localised, and on occasion they reflect the attention he paid to the betterment of Rome and Italy. This medaillon is one of his more interesting types, as it bears the portrait of Antoninus Pius on the obverse and that of his elder heir Marcus Aurelius on the reverse.