New Alexandria Tetradrachm of Nero

This is my new purchase, a billon tet from Nero struck in Alexandria, year 10 63-64 A.D. featuring a radiate Nero and Serapis on the reverse.

Type: Billon Tetradrachm, 25mm 12.73 grams

Obverse: NERW KLAY KAIS SEB GER, Radiate head right

Reverse: AVTO-KRA, Draped bust of Serapis right, wearing Kalathos, Date LI to right

Reference: Milne 222, Koln 160, RPC 5274, BMCGr 156: Sear 2001.



Please feel free to share your Nero Tets, or anything else of Alexandria! Also, my first Nero - so 8 more of the 12 Caesars left to collect!

 

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Nice example.


Nero (54 - 68 A.D.)
Billon Tetradrachm
EGYPT, Alexandria
O: NERW KLAY KAIS SEB GER, radiate head right, aegis on chest.
R: AYTO-KRA, draped bust of Alexandria right, wearing elephant skin headdress; date LIB to right.
Alexandria, Egypt. Dated Year 12 (65 - 66 A.D.)
12g
25mm
RPC 5289; Milne 238; Dattari 204; Geissen 172; Sear 2004.


Poppaea (63 - 65 A.D.)
Billon tetradrachm
O: NEPΩ KΛAY KAIΣ ΣEB ΓEP AY, radiate head right.
R.ΠOΠΠAIA ΣEBAΣTH, draped bust of Poppaea right, date LI right (year 10).
Alexandria mint 63 - 64 A.D.
12.5g
25mm
Milne 216, Curtis 132, RPC I 5275, Geissen 157

Ex HJB

 

Nero struck a narrower range of coins than did his successors in the next century. While his Imperial coins showed exceptional artistry, those of Alexandria did not. That doesn't stop me from collecting them though

Most of the Alexandrian engravers in Nero's time seemed to be from the Ramen Noodle School of Style.

Here's a particularly noodley example, 10/10 on the Noodle Scale:


EGYPT, Alexandria. Nero
year 13, CE 66/7
tetradrachm
Obv: NEPΩKΛAYKAIΣΣEBΓEP; radiate head right
Rev: Laureate bust of Apollo right; AYTOKPA; LIΓ
Ref: Emmett 110(13) R1, Milne 248


Somewhat less noodley, perhaps 6/10 on on the Noodle Scale:


EGYPT, Alexandria. Nero
year 10, CE 63/4
tetradrachm
Obv: NEPΩKΛAYKAIΣΣEBΓEPAY; radiate head right
Rev: Bust of Poppaea right; ΠOΠΠAIAΣEBAΣTH; LI
Ref: Emmett 128(10) R1, Milne 217

Condition makes it hard to determine, but I'd rate this one as LN, Least Noodley, 1/10 on the Noodle Scale:


EGYPT, Alexandria. Nero
year 3, CE 56/7
tetradrachm
Obv: NEPKΛAYKAIΣΣEBΓEPAYTO; laureate head right
Rev: Demos of Romans standing right with sceptre and cornucopia; ΔHMOΣPΩ-MAIΩN; LΓ
Ref: Emmett 116(3) R3, Milne 141

A casual and unscholarly review of his tets suggests that tet noodliness generally increased throughout his reign.

This diobol is one of my current favorite provincials:


EGYPT, Alexandria. Nero
Regnal year 14 (CE 67/8)
AE diobol; 27 mm, 10.9 gm
Obv: NEPΩKΛAVK[AIΣΣEBΓEPA]; laureate head right
Rev: L - IΔ; "vase" (Emmett), or "oinochoe" per others (others are probably correct)
Ref: Dattari-Savio Pl. 1, 2 (this coin); Dattari cf 286; RPC 5322; Emmett 153.14; Poole (BM, 1892) cf 188?; Milne -; none in a few other minor references I own. Rare.
ex Dattari collection (Giovanni Dattari, 1858-1923)
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/more-to-this-than-meets-the-eye.309276/

 

@TIF that oinochoe is everlasting!!!

 

Nice ancient coin hunter, seems like nice surfaces for this type of tet.
Bought this coin in the early days of collecting as was doing something similar to you in collecting 12 caesars, figured I get two for one with this coin.

 

I have two Alexandrian tets of Nero, both dual-portrait coins with a wife:


Nero and Claudia Octavia.
Roman provincial billon tetradrachm, 11.1 g, 25.0 mm.
Egypt, Alexandria, AD 56-57.
Obv: ΝΕΡ ΚΛΑΥ ΚΑΙΣ ΣΕΒ ΓΕΡ ΑΥΤΟ, laureate head of Nero, right.
Rev: ΟΚΤΑΟΥΙΑ ΣΕΒΑΣΤΟΥ, bare-headed and draped bust of Octavia, right; L Γ before.
Refs: RPC 5202; BMC 119; SGI 657; Cologne 122; Milne 133; Emmett 127.

Note: 2/10 on the @TIF Nero Noodle Scale.


Nero and Poppaea Sabina.
Roman provincial billon Tetradrachm; 23.1 mm, 11.55 g.
Egypt, Alexandria, AD 64/65.
Obv: ΝΕΡΩ ΚΛΑV ΚΑΙΣ ΣΕΒ ΓΕΡ ΑV, radiate head of Nero, right.
Rev: ΠΟΠΠΑΙΑ ΣΕΒΑΣΤΗ, draped bust of Poppaea, right, LIA (year 11) before.
Refs: RCV 2002; SGI 664; RPC 5280; Köln 168; BMCG 124; Milne 223; Curtis 138; Cohen 315, 3; Emmett 128.

4/10 on the @TIF Nero Noodle Scale.

 

For some reason, it often seems the non-Nero side is done in better style than the Nero. Maybe Alexandria realized they had little to work with when it came to handsome??? This one is Tiberius,

 

Hey, that's a cool Nero/Serapis combo tet @ancient coin hunter !

I picked up one also.... of intermediate "noodliness".



Egypt. Alexandria. Nero. 54-68 AD. Billon Tetradrachm

Dated year 10 (63/4 AD). Obv.: radiate head right. Rev.: draped bust of Serapis right, wearing calathus; LI in lower right field. Milne 222, 25 mm, 13.4g

 

Nice tet @ancient coin hunter!

Here is a Titus Serapis.


Titus
AR Tetradrachm, 12.70g
Alexandria mint, 79-80 AD
RPC 2464 (13 spec.).
Obv: AYTOK TITOY KAIΣ OYEΣΠAΣIANOY ΣEB; Head of Titus, laureate, r.
Rev: ΣAPA - ΠIΣ; bust of Sarapis, r., date LB before bust
Ex JW Harper Collection.

 

Hmmm...now it seems I need a noodley Nero.

I may not have a noodley Nero, but I do have a nice "Fat Tyrant" Nero.

 

Nice!

 

One question - I've been stumbling along and posting Roman-style lettering, not Greek lettering, for my provincial coins. How does one access the Greek fonts?

 

How 'bout Ramen noodles for a headdress?






EGYPT. Alexandria. Nero (AD 54-68). BI tetradrachm. Dated RY 12 (AD 65/6). Radiate bust of Nero right, wearing aegis / Draped bust right of Alexandria, wearing elephant-skin cap; date L IB before. Emmett 109. Dattari 204. RPC I 5289.

(Not my pictures, only my visitor.)

 

With the handy-dandy Greek Unicode inputter!

 

Well done @ancient coin hunter , very nice Tet! I like the Serapis reverse!

My Nero from Alexandria:

RI Poppea-Nero BI tetradrachm of Alexandria LI yr10 63-64 CE Milne 217 RPC 5275

And I believe this is the Guy minting the first Tets from Alexandria:

Egypt Ptolemy I Soter Tet Delta bankers marks

 

I have noticed that in the past couple of years there seems to have been a large number of high grade Nero Alexandria tetradrachmas showing up on the net and at coin shows. Has there been an unusually large hoard of these coins recently uncovered?

 

I noticed that, also. The price of these tetradrachms have been surprisingly low. I won't comment further except to say that many relatively inexpensive tetradrachms have now flooded the market.

 

I have only one Alexandrian tetradrachm, and it is a Nero. Very nice coins from everyone, I really like the style of Alexandria.


Obv: NEPΩKΛAV KAIΣΣEB ΓEP AV, radiate bust left; LIΓ (date) below chin
Rev: ΣEBAΣTOΦOPOΣ Corbita ship right, helmsman on far left; 2 dolphins below
RPC 5296
29mm, 12.52g, minted at Alexandria in 66 - 67 AD

 

That one with the ship is amazing @SeptimusT - it must be a rare type. With regard to all of the comments about tets becoming more common in the market, that seems to be the case. The outlet where I acquired the coin had about 15 Nero tets for sale, I picked one of the nicer ones - some had Poppaea, some had Elpis, some had an eagle, and some had Homounia. But I pretty much wanted a Serapis type. The price was kind of in the medium range, so I am definitely satisfied with the purchase.