Oh la la, got my first Commodus in Sestersius. The NL Auction going on now. Will try to post picture……
That's a good deal, @Mammothtooth! Here's a sestertius from the last year of his life: Commodus, AD 177-192. Roman orichalcum sestertius, 22.51 g, 29.2 mm, 1 h. Rome, AD 192. Obv: L AEL AVREL COMM AVG P FEL, laureate bust of Commodus, right, with slight drapery on left shoulder. Rev: LIB AVG P M TR P XVII COS VII P P, Libertas standing facing, head left, holding pileus in right hand and vindicta in left hand; S C l. and r., low in field; star, mid right, in field. Refs: RIC 619b; BMCRE 692 var. (bust); Cohen 290; RCV 5764; ERIC II 573 var. (bust).
That is a great coin for that price. Mine wasn't such a bargain and is even more misshapen...(I will insist on these Britain-specific reverses...) Commodus Sestertius, 184 Rome. Bronze, 29.5mm, 22.6g. Laureate head, M COMMODVS ANTON AVG PIVS BRIT. Victory, winged, draped and seated on shields, cradling palm frond, inscribing shield set on knee, two shields on ground. VICT BRIT P M TR P VIIII IMP VII COS IIII P P S C; VICT BRIT in exergue (RIC III, 440). A revolt in Britain in 184 was quickly put down, and a series of coins was struck to commemorate the event.
That is a very handsome Commodus sestertius, @Mammothtooth - I am very fond of the coins of Commodus and really like the looks of yours (good price too). Have you attributed it yet? I have a similar one, but as is often the case with my Commodus sestertii, enough of the legend is missing that I had to do a lot of detective work to get an attribution. Lately I've been adding notes to my flips so that a year from now when I ask myself "where in the world did I come up with that ID?" I can at least see my guessing process: Commodus Æ Sestertius (188-189 A.D.) Rome Mint [M COM]MODVS ANT P [FELIX] AVG BR[IT], laureate head right / IOVI IV[VENI P M]TR P XIIII IM[P VIII COS V], S C, Jupiter standing left, holding thunderbolt & sceptre, eagle left. RIC III 525. (19.17 grams / 29 x 26 mm) eBay Aug. 2021 Attribution Note: There are three IOVI IVVENI types from this era: RIC 499: COMMODVS TR P XII RIC 525: COMMODVS TR P XIIII COS V RIC 542: COMMOD TR P XIIII COS V DES VI Full COMMODVS obverse, XIIII visible, so RIC III 525.
Wow, that’s cheap! Congrats…… Paid some more for my sestertius…… With nice green patina just like yours
Yep, I am happy.. The description says RARE, which seems strange since I got it on the cheap end. Sestertius OBv : M COMMOD ANT P FEL AVG BRIT P P Rev : IOVI IVVENI P M TR P XIII IMP VIII COS V P P Jupiter standing left, holding scepter and thunderbolt; Eagle to left RIC- Very Rare weight 20.2 gr diameter 28 mm
Another rare Commodus, and also very cheap. I don't remember the exact price but I could easily afford it when I was a teenager, with a very very limited budget.
There is something about Commodus that intrigues me. Perhaps it is his crazy behavior. He must have been drastically unhinged. In today’s world I guess he would be like a Politician! Would not get his Covid, and drive a fast car. Oh yeah, and watch WWE.
Congrats @Mammothtooth. Great price. I admire Commodus' portraits, especially on sestertii. Here is mine that I was able to obtain on a second try. Commodus augustus, 177 – 192. Sestertius 183-184, Æ 25.76 g. M COMMODVS AN – TONINVS AVG PIVS Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust r. Rev. P M TR P VIIII IMP VI COS IIII P P Pax seated l. holding branch and cornucopiae; in exergue, S C. C 453. BMC 531. RIC 405.
