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Heritage World Coin Auctions
CICF Signature Sale 3032  10-12 April 2014
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Lot 23965

Estimate: 20 000 USD
Price realized: 23 000 USD
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Ancients
Commodus (AD 177-192). Orichalcum sestertius (34mm, 27.77 gm, 12h). Rome, AD 192. L AEL AVREL COMM AVG P FEL, laureate head right / PROVIDENTIAE AVG, Commodus as Hercules standing left, holding club on rock, placing foot on prow, and receiving grain ears from Africa, standing right, wearing an elephant-skin headddress with a lion at her feet. RIC 641. Cohen 644. Attractive green patina. Well-struck on a large flan. A simply magnificent and imposing coin. Good Extremely Fine.From The Dr. Patrick Tan Collection. Ex Lanz 120 (18 May 2004), lot 366 (cover coin). Rejecting the intellectuality of his father, Commodus favored the physicality of the Arena and fancied himself as "the Roman Hercules," a great athlete, hunter and gladiator. On this remarkable sestertius he depicts himself as Hercules on the reverse, clasping hands with the personification of Egypt, on which Rome's grain supply depended. After the fall of his corrupt vizier Cleander in AD 190, Commodus took control of governmental affairs himself and made the Empire an expression of his megalomania, renaming Rome as "Colonia Commodiana" and revamping the very calendar months to match his 12 names (Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus Augustus Herculius Romanus Exsuperatorius Amazonius Invictus Felix Pius). Wealthy Romans in high positions were routinely executed so their estates could be confiscated to finance this orgy of self-indulgence. Still the Roman people seemed largely to enjoy his antics, and the Legions remained loyal throughout; however his close advisors began to fear for their own lives and ultimately arranged his death by strangulation at the hands of his wrestling instructor, Narcissus. The damage done by his 12 years of listless, corrupt rule was deep and lasting.

Estimate: 20000-30000 USD
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