Featured Anepigraphic Hadrian (warning: possible crocodile abuse shown)

Here's a new arrival that caught my eye in a recent Savoca auction. It has enough wear that, at a casual glance, you might think the reverse legends have completely worn away. It's actually anepigraphic, and seemingly a rather rare type. If I'm not wrong (and please feel free to correct me here, @Okidoki), it's in fact the only anepigraphic reverse type issued on a denarius in Hadrian's name.


HADRIAN
AR Denarius. 3.12g, 18.9mm. Rome mint, AD 134-138. RIC 294d; Sear 3551; BMCRE III p. 338, *. O: HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P, laureate head right. R: No legend, Hadrian standing right, wearing military garb, inverted spear in right hand, parazonium in left hand, left foot on crocodile (?).

RIC, BMCRE, RSC and Cohen all describe the reverse as depicting Hadrian standing with one foot on a prow, but Sear in RCV II calls it a crocodile. The detail is unfortunately not clear on my example, but here's a coin that's a double die match for mine that was sold in a Naumann auction showing a thing that clearly looks nothing like a prow.



I suppose it could be a crocodile, or maybe a [insert your best guess here]. A Forvm sale listing follows Sears, and adds the suggestion that the type "may refer to the quelling of a revolt in Egypt, perhaps related to the Bar Kokhba revolt." While that's a possibility, I think it's unlikely given the small quantity struck, the subtlety of the iconography employed, and the lack of victory trumpeting legends.

CNG slapped a 'Travel series' label on a beautiful bust variant of the same type they sold in 2015, and even though they call the object a prow and don't elaborate on their reasoning for grouping it with the other 'Travel' coins, I think this makes more sense. The obverse legend and portrait style fits, and as it is, Egypt holds a special place within the series, having been given three reverse types (AEGYPTOS, ALEXANDRIA, NILVS) compared to just one for all the other featured provinces. I've no good suggestion for why this type is anepigraphic, or what exactly is being conveyed by the depiction of Hadrian in the pose of Virtus stomping on a crocodile, but I'll happily be giving this coin more research time down the road.

Please feel free to share your thoughts or pile on with any appropriate coins!

 

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Hadrian's heir and similar style. My only anepigraphic Roman Imperial.

 

Nice one! And on it Pius is clearly shown with his foot on a globe. When it's Virtus or Roma shown in this pose, she typically has her foot resting on a helmet, as on the coin below (which is not mine):

 

Clearly it is the Easter Bunny. Or a cricket. Or a dwarf wearing a tailcoat and rabbit ears.

Great find! There aren't many of them in archives.

I find anepigraphic coins to be more visually appealing than ones littered with sloppy legends .

 

Very cool. I agree that, while unclear on even the better but die-matched example from Numismatik Naumann, it looks more like a croc than a prow.

 

Let's be serious. I don't think there's any need for us to let our imagination run wild here...

 

YES!!

 

Hi all,
its a croc, corrected in RIC 2, 1441
Hadrian-Horus stepping on crocodile, right holding spear and parazonium
note 737 croc mistaken for prow in old RIC

here is my sestertius
Hadrian Sestertius Roma 130-38 AD Hadrian- Horus standing
Reference.
RIC II, 782; C 1384; RIC III, 1451; Banti 728; Strack 701

Bust A1+

Obv. HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P
Bare head

Rev. S C in field
Hadrian-Horus, stepping on crocodile right, holding spear and parazonium

29.33 gr
33 mm
6h

 

Well he did start a trend....

 

LOL, he is stomping on a DUCK!

And, BIG CONGRATS, finding anepigraphic coins are pretty hard. It seems so many coins had a letter, abbreviation, etc. to muddle up the great designs on the coins!

How about an anepigraphic Celtic Money? (probly a horse harness ring...)

Celtic AE Ring 800-500 BCE

 

Diva Faustina Sr.; w/Antoninus Pius; AR den. (22mm; 3.58 gm; 7h); Rev: Ceres; anepigraphic. VF. RIC 404B.

 

Hi All,

I am WAY out of my depth here (I only do coins from Egypt), so I'll guess that rabbits are usually associated with Hispania. Could this be a "Hispania Capta" coin (possibly predating the "RESTITVTORI HISPANIAE") denarii & sestertii?

A nice example of the latter from a Roma Auction XIX is here.

- Broucheion