Small but my heart fell in love Hadrian. AD 117-138. Dupondius or As, Rome, 132-134. HADRIANVS AVGVSTVS Laureate and draped bust of Hadrian to right. Rev. COS III P P / S C Hadrian, in military dress, with cloak flying behind him, on horse prancing right, holding spear in rest in right hand. BMC 1452. Cohen 495. RIC 717. An outstanding coin, with remarkable detail, untouched patina and original surfaces. Creating a coin for the Emperor, using the finest artisans can be seen in the detail, down to the saddlecloth of a leopard skin, which would account for the rather irregular shape. Tied in front of the horse's chest, which helped on the security/slippage front. The reins. Interesting but not at all easy to explain. The lower of the loops goes round the neck but does not go to the horse's mouth - the lower loop isn't part of the rein at all but is a neck strap for the rider to grab in an emergency or during battle. Hanging onto the reins, double or single, in an emergency is a bad idea, as it results in the horses getting a jag in the mouth, which could really hurt if the bit is severe (often the case with warhorses). Horses tend not to react well to an unexpected yank in the mouth and the rider is more likely to end up on the floor than save and already tricky situation. Reins are never to provide support for the rider's balance, only for control of speed and direction. "Sitting on the reins" is a fault of beginners! There are neck straps depicted on some coins of Pharsalos - though perhaps these are decorative "garlands" rather than functional. Or a bit of both? I would expect a neck strap, however, to lie further down the neck where it joins the chest. One thing - there is what appears to be a third strap (or part thereof) extending from the mane towards to the right level with the horse's jowl - about the same distance from the top "rein" as the latter is from the bottom "strap". Jeff
Very cool OP-coin (congrats) Ummm, Hadrian Dupondius, eh? ... okay, I'm all in!! Hadrian Æ Dupondius Rome mint AD 117-138 Struck AD 125-128 Diameter: 26 mm Weight: 11.24 grams Obverse: Radiate bust right, slight drapery Reverse: Pegasus right Other: 6h ... RIC II 758 From the Robert O. Ebert Collection
Question: Are Hadrian dupondii known with laureate portraits and yellow metal? I know this was common in the preceding century but my very limited experience expects Hardian dupondii to have the radiate crown. Below 2 dupondii and one as:
Very nice coin you have. It can be both, when there is no radiate its an As for me. As a Hadrian collector i put radiate in Dupondius map, and the rest is As map Here is mine
Hmm. That one looks familiar. I am sure its the same one from my collection back in the 80's. I sadly sold most my collection when I became a dealer!
yah, I love that example (thanks for becoming a dealer) ... it didn't mention anything about good ol' Ken Dorney on the liner-notes (ummm, unless Robert O. Ebert is your show-name?)
I dont have sales records from that far back, but I do have all my old printed catalogs. Maybe I'll see if I can find it. It's fun to see coins I've handled come back around once in a while.
Hadrian, as. Struck 132-134. 26-24 mm. 12.30 grams. HADRIANVS AVGVSTVS CLEMENTIA AVG COS III PP BMC 1436, an imperial virtue. Sear Volume 2, 3677 this coin. Ex NFA auction 17 (June 27, 1986) lot 824. I did not buy this from NFA, rather from a friend with an eye for portraits who bought it from NFA. When he switched to collecting Republican coins, I was lucky enough to buy this imperial coin from him. There is a lot to be said for buying from your fellow collectors.
Wow, Ken => if you do happen to spend the effort and eventually find my/our sweet ol' example, then "please" send me the catalogue photo/info, so I can tuck it into my coin-records (that would be an awesome update to this coin's recent-history) ... good luck (I hope that you're able to solve the coin-mystery)
Well, I found the coin, on List #46, February 1999. NOT the same coin! It is nearly identical though, which is why I thought it was the same one. Same grade, general flan shape, patina, etc., but from different dies. Ah well. Dont know what you paid, but mine sold for $350, and that was 17 years ago.
=> thanks for the effort, my coin-friend (I appreciate it) I didn't pay quite that much for my sweet baby ... the link is below https://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=228907 Cheers ... have a nice weekend
That is a sweet deal! The internet has made coins much cheaper and more accessible to so may more people than in the old days!
