Hadrian's travel coinage

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by slynop, May 1, 2018.

  1. slynop

    slynop Well-Known Member

    We could post here the differents coins of Hadrian's travel and try to do all his travel with the coins.

    I start with my only one, a little trip in Dacia.

    Dupondius or AS.
    Weight : 13,71 gr.
    Head and bust nudes / Head turn on the right.

    HADRIANVS AVG COS III PP / DACIA

    Ric 850 / Cohen 531

    HADRIANVS AVG COS III PP Dupondius 13,71 gr.JPG

    Hadrien la Dacie assise à gauche sur un rocher RIC 850 Cohen 531.JPG
     
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  3. roman99

    roman99 Well-Known Member

  4. TIF

    TIF Always learning.

    What a nice patina and excellent reverse!

    I have two travel series denarii, the most common ones:

    Africa
    [​IMG]
    HADRIAN. CE 117-138
    AR Denarius. 18 mm, 3.53 gm. struck CE 134-138, Rome
    Obv: HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P, laureate head right
    Rev: AFRICA, Africa with elephant skin headdress, reclining on rock, holding scorpion and cornucopia, basket of fruit before her
    Ref: RIC II 299

    Egypt
    [​IMG]
    HADRIAN
    AR Denarius. 18 mm, 2.95 gm. struck CE 134-138, Rome
    Obv: HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P, bare head right
    Rev: AEGYPTOS; Aegyptos reclining left holding sistrum; ibis standing right at feet
    Ref: RIC II 297
     
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  5. slynop

    slynop Well-Known Member

    And we could try to have all the coins for one travel : denarius / as dupondius / sestertius / aureus...
     
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  6. TIF

    TIF Always learning.

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  7. IdesOfMarch01

    IdesOfMarch01 Well-Known Member

    A year or two ago my collection branched out from 12 Caesars to include coins of Hadrian. His imperial coins are of universally high engraving quality and high minting standards.

    As of this time, I have only two travel series coins but am actively pursuing others.

    One of my first ventures into this area resulted in a high-quality forgery, documented in this thread: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/hadrian-aureus-a-tale-of-subtle-differences.283959/

    More recently I've had the good fortune to add both an aureus and sestertius:

    H3 - Hadrian AE sestertius Africa.jpg

    HADRIAN 117 - 138 A.D.
    AE Sestertius (25.62 g.) Rome ca. 134 - 138 A.D. RIC 840
    HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P Laureate head of Hadrian right
    Rev. Africa, draped, wearing elephant-skin headdress, recl. L, r. hand holding scorpion, cornucopia behind.

    H2 - Hadrian AV aureus Africa.jpg

    HADRIAN 117 - 138 A.D.
    AV Aureus (7.15 g.) Rome ca. 134 - 138 A.D. RIC II -- cf. 298g
    HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P bare head of Hadrian r. Rev. Africa, draped, wearing elephant-skin headdress, recl. L, r. hand on neck of lion stg. L. grain ears behind
     
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  8. slynop

    slynop Well-Known Member

    Only two but with a high quality ! Magnifique !!
     
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  9. alde

    alde Always Learning

    The Hadrian travel series is my favorite ancient coin subject.
    Hadrian AE As Travel Series Aegyptos RIC 839.jpg Hadrian AR Denarius Alexandria standing left holding sistrum and snake in basket RIC 300.jpg Hadrian AR Denarius Asia standing left RIC 301.jpg Hadrian AR Denarius Italia standing left holding scepter and cornucopiae RIC 307.jpg Hadrian AR Denarius Nilus reclining left RIC 310.jpg Hadrian AR Denarius Travel Series Aegyptos RIC 297.jpg Hadrian AR Denarius Travel Series Africa RIC 299.jpg Hadrian AR Denarius Travel Series Germania RIC 302.jpg Hadrian AR Denarius Travel Series Hispania RIC 305.jpg
     
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  10. slynop

    slynop Well-Known Member

    Could you said a little more for each of them : denominations, references etc. ?
    For the first, is it a sestertius or an AS ?

    :)
     
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  11. alde

    alde Always Learning

    The first one is an As. All the others are denarius.
     
  12. slynop

    slynop Well-Known Member

    Thanks :happy:
     
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  13. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    Sestertius AEGYPTOS
    rc1975fd3391.jpg

    Denarius ALEXANDRIA (purple tone)
    rc1930bb1676.jpg
     
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  14. Bing

    Bing Illegitimi non carborundum Supporter

    My one and only:
    Hadrian 9.jpg
     
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  15. randygeki

    randygeki Coin Collector

  16. Julius Germanicus

    Julius Germanicus Well-Known Member

    My only travel coin depicts the imperial galley, which carried the emperor and his immediate entourage from port to port on their travels. It was most likely struck on the occasion of the return of Hadrian to Rome at the end of his second great journey (AD 128-31). The accompanying legend celebrates the emperor's happiness on his safe homecoming after such an extended absence. According to Sear, the fine style of the obverse portrait, accentuated by the scarce left-facing rendering, reveals the strong influence of Hellenic art and culture which was such a feature of Hadrian's principate.

    Bildschirmfoto 2018-05-02 um 08.47.17.png
    Bildschirmfoto 2018-05-02 um 08.47.25.png

    HADRIANVS AVGVSTVS, laureate head of Hadrian left /
    [FELICITATI AVG](around), COS III P P (in exergue)
    Sestertius, Rome 131 (seemingly the third recorded specimen)
    30,88 mm / 23,79 gr
    Cayón (Los Sestercios del Imperio Romano II) p. 97, 316 (same dies), citing Ratto (Roma Imperiale nelle Monete di Adriano e di sua famiglia); Cohen 689, citing specimen in Bibliothèque nationale, Paris = RIC 703k = BMCRE p. 451, 1392 note = Strack (Untersuchungen zur Römischen Reichsprägung des Zweiten Jahrhunderts) 838
     
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  17. AncientJoe

    AncientJoe Well-Known Member

    Here's my Nilus travel aureus, which found its way into my collection via a convoluted path. The series is arguably one of the most aesthetic and I could definitely foresee myself adding at least one other travel coin at some point:

    Nilus.jpg

    HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P, bare head of Hadrian left / No legend, Nilus reclining left, half draped, holding cornucopia cradled in right arm, left arm resting on sphinx rearing right; before him, hippopotamus walking right with head raised and mouth open, below, crocodile advancing left amid waves on river embankment. RIC --, cf. 312a (bare head right, Nilus holds reed). BMCRE --, 867 note (same). Calicó --, cf. 1161 (same). Extremely rare, an apparently unrecorded and possibly unique variety of this highly attractive travel issue, the reverse die of extraordinary artistry.

    And, from the auction description (as I haven't had a chance to write a broader historical context for any of my newer coins):

    "Hadrian's career of traveling the length and breadth of the Roman Empire culminated in an extended visit to Egypt in AD 130-131, accompanied by a vast entourage that included his wife Sabina and his young protégé and lover, the handsome Bithynian Antinous. During a barge trip up the Nile, Antinous fell overboard and drowned, plunging the emperor into extravagant grief. The incident is shrouded in mystery, with some gossips suggesting that the youth had sacrificed himself in some strange ritual to restore Hadrian's failing health. Whatever the manner of death, Hadrian ordained that Antinous be deified and worshipped as a god, not by the Roman Senate or people, but by the Greek denizens of the Empire who held a more sympathetic view of their emperor's "forbidden love." Hadrian finally returned from his travels in circa 132 and retired to his lavishly decorated villa at Tivoli, where Egypt and the Nile were given special prominence. His famous Travel Series of coins was struck during his final years, perhaps as a personal remembrance of his imperial wanderings. This remarkable aureus, of a variety not recorded in the standard references, boasts an astonishing reverse depiction of the river god Nilus surrounded by the fauna of Egypt, rendered in the highest artistry of the age. Unusually, the reverse bears no legend, leaving the engraver's work to speak for itself."
     
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  18. Eduard

    Eduard Supporter**

    Hadrian visiting Spain: Denarius, Restitutori Hispaniae

    Hadrian Denarius Restitutori Hispania - from Rauch  - 1.jpg


    Hadrian Sestertius - Inspecting the Legions Stationed in Syria
    Hadrian Sestertius Execituus Syriacus OBV1 N - 1.jpg Hadrian Sestertius Execituus Syriacus REV1 N - 1.jpg

    And some of the boats he used to get there:

    Galley Sestertius:
    Hadrian Sestertius Galley OBV1 N - 1.jpg Hadrian Sestertius Galley REV1 N - 1.jpg


    Galley Dupondius:
    Hadrian AS galley-From Numismata 2017- OBV - 1.jpg Hadrian AS galley-From Numismata 2017- REV - 1.jpg
     
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  19. Julius Germanicus

    Julius Germanicus Well-Known Member

    OMG I would gladly give away my whole collection for that one coin.
     
  20. slynop

    slynop Well-Known Member

    Extraordinary reverse !
    Here, it's not only a coin, it's art.

    BTW i love the novel Hadrian's memories (in French Mémoires d'Hadrien) by Marguerite Yourcenar. We have the feeling to be in his head, it's incredible, it's a masterpiece.
     
    Last edited: May 2, 2018
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  21. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    There is some disagreement on what to include in the 'Travel Series'. Purists might only allow the coins with a one word place name 'Africa' or 'Alexandria' while others will include anything wit a boat or commemorating a building project somewhere in the Empire. I am in the last mentioned group. The as below shows Hadrian as restorer of Africa. That is slightly different from just going there.
    rc1960bb2291.jpg

    This denarius (not mine) shows Oceanus posing a lot like we see on the travel figures but the legends are offices rather than stating 'Ocean'. To include this one might be more of a stretch.
    rc1855xx1049.jpg
     
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