Hadrian Continues His Travels

Despite my recent setback (the Hadrian Hispania aureus that was a forgery), I continue to pursue Hadrian’s travel series coins. The recent Gorny and Mosch auction presented with an opportunity to acquire a bronze from this series:



HADRIAN 117 - 138 A.D.
AE Sestertius (25.59 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, reclining left, right hand holding scorpion, cornucopia behind

My recently shown Hadrian aureus is also an Africa issue, with the lion reverse.

I recently saw this ancient bust of Hadrian in the Vatican's collection and am struck by how similar the likenesses on his coins resemble this bust:



While I strongly try to avoid discussing explicit price information in my threads, there is a story behind this coin for which it’s worthwhile to make an exception.

This coin was previously listed in another German auction, with a starting bid of 15,000€. Not surprisingly, it went unsold at this starting price. Following the auction, I asked my dealer to get in touch with the auction house to see if the consignor would consider selling it privately.

I was willing to offer as much as 10,000€, to which the consignor agreed, but the auction house insisted on adding its 18% buyer’s fee to this amount, and of course I would also be paying my dealer his commission. Making things even more difficult, the auction house required payment in advance, before sending the coin, despite my dealer’s international reputation from 40 years in the ancient coin business. There wasn’t even an explicit return guarantee in case the coin proved to be unsatisfactory. So we ended up not coming to an agreement on the coin.

To my advantage, the coin was reoffered via Gorny & Mosch, and I ended up winning it with the opening bid of 8,000€ (possibly still overpaying, but better than 10,000€!). Plus, my dealer had an opportunity to examine it in hand prior to the auction, alleviating any concerns about its condition.

Pile on with any recent Hadrians, or especially with any travel-series Hadrians!

Postscript: There were two other Hadrian travel sestertii in this auction as well, but upon examination my dealer noted “The two other pieces were heavily smoothed and painted with some of the details added with plastic or epoxy.” Details added? Epoxy? Yikes! This is unnerving, because the catalog pictures did not reveal this, nor did the description, and only in-hand examination revealed that these coins were uncollectible. But fortunately for collectors and the industry as a whole, those two coins went unsold.

 

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Great coin - Great picture - Great price , congrats IdesOfMarch

2x travel As - Rome mint
Hadrian on his way to Africa ? and back to Rome.

 

I have shown this coin this week (new from Baltimore) but it serves to make the point. That is a beautiful sestertius. Other than a small scrape on the neck, it is pretty close to perfect. Where we all have to decide is how much we pay for perfection. My aVF sestertius cost about 10% of the buyer's fee (no postage since I bought it in person and no dealer commission since dealers don't deal in aVF coins). I would love to have a travel coin like that Africa but I am OK with my Aegyptos and the other coins that will fit in my annual budget (oddly close to the cost of the Africa).


I only have one other travel coin. It is a denarius of Alexandria with a very unusual purple tone.


I do have an as which is Africa related showing the emperor raising the kneeling Africa. RESTITVTORI AFRICAE

While we disagree on how to spend our $8000+ we really agree on the horror of some modified coins. I go one step further and prefer not to spend any money with dealers I consider to be a dark side of the hobby who sell such coins and require us to employ agents or travel to view lots to protect us from their shenanigans. As long as people with money (they do not listen to the likes of me) patronize sellers who offer coins with undisclosed problems like epoxy they have no basis to complain about their business practices. I know I buy coins from sellers who deal in 'improved' coins and I know I have some coins in this category but the I expect a coin justly worth $8000 could be distinguished from a modified coin worth $80 or $800 relying only on the description of the seller. As long as people pay for epoxy etc., there will be dealers who cater to that market.

 

Incredible coin, congrats! I look forward to your future Travel Series purchases.

My Africa is the common denarius, a humble example but one that I like very much.

 

The travel series is very interesting. Quite a sizable collection
can be put together. The OPs recent purchase is mucho nice.
Maybe I'll collect a few of them when budget allows.

 

Even the best dealers make mistakes (cf: my recent Hadrian aureus forgery initially sold by NAC, but later detected by them) and I'd like to think that maybe Gorny didn't knowingly place altered coins in its auctions. They're generally a reputable dealer and auctioneer, so I'm still giving them the benefit of the doubt.

 

wow. what great detail. I really liked the scorpion. (insects).

 

Cool coin OP. I have a couple. I have the Hispania one with a little bunny down on the bottom of the coin. One of my favorite Hadrians. Sorry, no pic.

 

Thanks for your posting.

I had been hoping to get the sestertius version of this coin (returning to Rome) but for the reasons I mentioned above, the coin proved to be unsuitable and went unsold.

It's pretty interesting how Hadrian documented his travels via coins. I'm also reminded of this mosaic that I saw a few weeks ago in ancient Ostia -- a shipbuilder advertising his shipbuilding services:

 

BEAUTIFUL!

 

Dat patina tho...

 

A gorgeous example! Are you looking at a single set of each location in a variety of metals or a set of all in each metal to match your Twelve Caesars? Neither is easy but the latter could take a lifetime to find a well-matched group.

 

Great mosaic of a galley under sail !

heres a pic of a roman patrol galley used on the Rhine - Limes (border) an exact replica named Victoria, made in Germany. It goes from castellum to castellum all along the roman border, last month it visited my town,picture taken from my house.



Fortuna holding a rudder on globe

 

Right now I'm after an imperial portrait (1) small bronze (as or dupondius), (2) sestertius, (3) denarius, and (4) aureus for each of the 12 Caesars (not possible for Julius Caesar or Otho, so only denarius and aureus for these two). Also, a lifetime issue (again, not possible for Julius Caesar aureus).

I'm lacking only a portrait (lifetime) Tiberius sestertius.

Oh, wait... I misunderstood your question. It was about Hadrian's travel series. The answer is that for now, I'm just collecting travel series that I like -- I don't have any specific set in mind. I really love the lion reverse on my aureus and this bronze is gorgeous. Who knows what's next?

 

Fantastic OP !!!

Wonderful posts guys!!!

I'm still in the hunt for an 'affordable' version of Hadrian's travel series and almost pulled the trigger on one....but my budget went all to hell after I committed to a lifetime JC portrait I have been after for the last two years----Yes, it's a 'budget' example LOL

 

Absolutely GORGEOUS coin. Probably one of the best if not the best out there.

I just wince a little bit at the price as that could pay for a year of college for me, room and board included...

 

very Nice OP, coin

Hadrian Sestertius Roma 134-38 AD Arabia
Reference.
Strack 770; RIC 943 var. (bust left); C. 1233 var.

Obv. HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P
Laureate, draped bust left, seen from back.

Rev. RESTITVTORI ARABIAE S C
Hadrian, togate, standing right, on left, holding roll in left hand and extending right hand to raise up Arabia, kneeling, facing him, on right, holding bundle of canes (?) in left hand; camel left, in center.

25.60 gr
32 mm

 

Hadrian Sestertius Roma 134-38 AD Mauretania standing right
Reference.
Strack 720; RIC II 858; C. 961; BMC 1762

Obv. HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P
Bust of Hadrian, laureate, draped, right

Rev. MAVRETANIA S C
Mauretania, wearing short tunic, walking right, head left, holding the bridle of horse, advancing left, in right hand and two javelins in left, with serpent coiled around javelins

23.32 gr
32 mm
6h

 

Wow! That's not a type you see every day!