A new Sestertius of Nero
I won this in the CNG auction that ended today. To me (your opinion may vary) if you wanted one single coin to represent the Roman Empire you would want a Sestertius of Nero. They were large, their size gave the engravers room to showcase their talents in a way that smaller coins did not and how can you not just be impressed by a big hunk of bronze from one of the most evil rulers in history?
When I post these things I usually give a brief history of the emperor and his time, but I think most of us know at least some details from Nero's life. He became Emperor inn AD 54 when his mother murdered his step father Claudius Caesar, he murdered his step brother Britannicus because "A second Caesar is a Caesar too many." He went on to kill his mother in AD 59, all of this killing before his real reign or terror began around AD 64-65. In the end he was declared a public enemy by the Senate and fled, taking his own life in a shameful manner in AD 68.
This coin is a bronze Sestertius struck at the Lugdunum mint in AD 65. It is a whopping 36mm in diameter with a weight of 26g. Because of its size I can't help wondering it it might have been issued as a presentation piece of some kind? The reverse shows the emperor on horseback with a soldier behind him. The legend "DECVRSIO" on the reverse is a reference to a mounted military advance, but according to Seth Stevenson in his 1889 "Dictionary of Roman Coins" may have been issued to mark Nero's establishment of cavalry drills amongst the Pretorians.

WNC Coins, LLC
1987-C Hendersonville Road
Asheville, NC 28803
wnccoins.com
Comments
-
Very nice man!
Habsburg Talers
TalerUniverse.com is a curated numismatic project dedicated to the silver talers, crowns, and medals of the Habsburg Empire and the Holy Roman Empire, spanning the 16th–18th centuries. The collection emphasizes historically significant issues, rare mint varieties, and high-grade NGC/PCGS examples, presented with detailed historical context, scholarly references, and high-resolution photography. TalerUniverse aims to serve both as a private collection showcase and a growing reference resource for collectors, researchers, and students of early-modern European coinage.0 -
Thanks Z
If you are in the Western North Carolina area, please consider visiting our coin shop:
WNC Coins, LLC
1987-C Hendersonville Road
Asheville, NC 28803
wnccoins.com0 -
A beautiful example. Congrats!
0 -
Is that:
"Very nice man"
or
"Very nice, man"
Seriously though, an interesting coin. If I could have a superpower I'd be torn between total fluency in all languages or being able to hold something like this and know it's history.
1 -
A very attractive and historic coin.
Member ANS, ANA, GSNA, TNC
1 -
That pretty Neato, or should I say that's a neato Nero

Steve
Promote the Hobby0 -
-
That's fantastic!
A big bronze sestertius is fun to hold.
Congrats."Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working" Pablo Picasso
0 -
-
Big.
DPOTD-3
'Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery'
CU #3245 B.N.A. #428
Don0 -
I had the privilege of seeing this one in hand in my recent visit to Ye Olde Dead King's castle, on the very afternoon it arrived.
It is quite impressive, and he got a very nice deal on it, in my opinion.
Collector since 1976. On the CU forums here since 2001.
0 -
Nice pick up - wow size indeed!
0
Categories
- All Categories
- 520.1K Coins and Currency - PCGS
- 328.6K U.S. Coin Forum
- 14.8K PCGS Set Registry Forum
- 5.2K Q & A Forum
- 41.4K World & Ancient Coins Forum
- 3K U.S. & World Currency Forum
- 96.4K Buy, Sell, & Trade - U.S. Coins
- 7.3K Buy, Sell & Trade - World & Ancient Coins
- 1.5K Buy, Sell & Trade - Currency
- 61 Random
- 246.2K Trading Cards, Autographs and Memorabilia - PSA
- 90.3K Trading Cards & Memorabilia Forum
- 1.7K Autographs Forum
- 16.4K PSA Set Registry Forum
- 22K Sports Talk
- 115K Buy, Sell & Trade - Cards & Memorabilia
- 663 Buy, Sell & Trade - Autographs
- 2.2K Stamps
- 1.5K Stamps Forum
- 670 Buy, Sell & Trade - Stamps
- 83 Coin Shows
- 83 General Coin Show Information and Discussion
- 11.9K Misc
- 11.9K Testing Forum




