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Ancient Roman Empire: orichalcum sestertius of Hadrian, struck ca. 134-138 AD

Ancient Roman Empire: orichalcum sestertius of Hadrian, struck ca. 134-138 AD, ex-Boston Museum of Fine Arts







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Obverse: HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P, laureate bust of Hadrian right, slight drapery on far shoulder.



Reverse: AE-QVI[TAS] [AV]G, S C across field, Aequitas standing facing, head left, holding scales and scepter.



Struck at Rome ca. 134-138 AD. RIC 743; BMC 1481. 31 mm approx, 23.4 g. Ex-Colosseo collection, 6/6/2015. Prior provenance to Boston Museum of Fine Arts, cited in Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles Auction 81, Lot 1567, September 2014.



The Roman emperor Hadrian, who reigned from 117 to 138 AD, is mostly known in the English speaking world for the construction of Hadrian's Wall in England, but also for construction in Rome and for his love of Greek culture. His reign coincided with a "golden age" of Rome and he was named one of the "Five Good Emperors" by Machiavelli in 1502.



Miscellaneous links:

Larger picture

Wildwinds page (for RIC 743/BMC 1481)

ACSearch.info page (for this coin; Goldberg provenance mentioning prior museum pedigree)

The Colosseo Collection (from which this piece was acquired)



Wikipedia links:

Hadrian

Sestertius

Hadrian's Wall

The Five Good Emperors

Aequitas







When posted here, this coin was part of my "Eclectic Box of 20" collection.








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