Celebrate your Libertas -- Commodus edition

A recent acquisition. Minted in the last year of Commodus' life, it has a mature portrait. Its reverse type depicts Libertas, the personification of liberty. Libertas is typically depicted as a standing female figure, holding a cap called a pileus in her right hand, and in her left hand a particular wand which the Romans called a vindicta. During the manumission ceremony by which they were freed, slaves wore the pileus and were lightly struck with the vindicta. This reverse type is thus rich with meaning. Indeed, these attributes of Libertas were featured on early US coinage, such as the first half cent.

Let's see your coins with Libertas reverse types, coins of Commodus, or whatever you feel is relevant!


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; Sear 5764; ERIC II 573 var. (bust).
Notes: Ex Pegasi buy or bid sale 155, lot 382, March 19, 2019.

This sestertius of Commodus comes in two obverse portrait varieties: (a) laureate head, right, and (b) laureate bust, right, with slight drapery on the left shoulder.[1, 2]

The coin also comes in reverse varieties with a star in the left field, a star in the right field, and without a star. This particular coin appears to be quite scarce with the type b bust with the slight drapery on the far shoulder. No other examples are to be found in the British Museum Collection or at acsearchinfo, Wildwinds, OCRE, Tantalus, or The Coin Project.

For comparison, here's the example in the British Museum collection with the laureate head:



Half cent of 1793, depicting Liberty shouldering a vindicta capped with a pileus:



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1. RIC3 619, p.436.
2. BMCRE4, see note to no. 692, p.837.

 

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The motif certain has longevity!

My only example of Libertas is on this Roman Republican denarius and she is rather generic:


Roman Republic, C. Egnatius Cn.f. Cn.n. Maxsumus
75 BCE
AR denarius, 19 mm, 3.82 gm
Obv: bust of Cupid right, with bow and quiver over shoulder; behind, MAXSVMVS downwards
Rev: distyle temple with figures of draped Jupiter and Libertas standing facing within; C EGNATIVS CN F below, CN N upwards to right, control to left
Ref: Crawford 391/2; Sydenham 788
ex Andrew McCabe
ex Vecchi Auction 15, 15 June 1999, lot 738

 

Brutus Libertas




Galba Libertas restored

Galba Libertas Publica

 

Cool! Those Galbas have an unusual style. What mint are they from?

 

Thanks. Yes they do have an unusual style. They are from a Spanish mint presumedly Tarraco. There is much variation in the portraits of Galba even within the Spanish mint examples. There is no way to mistake a Spanish mint Galba for a Rome mint portrait.

 

This is my unique example with Libertas :

Antoninus Pius AE As
27 mm 9.7 g 1 h
Rome 143-144 AD
ANTONINVS AVG PI-VS PP TRP COS III
IMPERA-TOR II SC
Libertas st.left, holding pileus & rod
RIC III 728 rated scarce

 

Commodus, Æ Sestertius,
Rome, 190 AD
27.5 x 29 mm, 19.63 g
Ref.: RIC III Commodus 563; Cohen 320; BMC 650

Obv.: (M CO)MMOD ANT P F / ELIX AVG BRIT PP Head of Commodus, laureate, right
Rev.: LIBERAL AVG (VII PM TR P XV) IMP VIII COS V Liberalitas, draped, standing l., holding coin-counter in r. hand and cornucopia in l. hand; S C across field

​

 

Ooh... an excuse to roll out my Alexandrian denarii....

Commodus denarius
Obv:– M COMM ANTO - N AVG PIVS BRIT, Laureate head right
Rev:- LIR AVG R M TR P - XVII COS VII P P, Libertas standing left folding pileus and sceptre
Minted in Alexandria. A.D. 192
Reference:– BMCRE -. RIC -. RSC -.

2.60g. 17.69 mm. 0 degrees

 

My best coin of Libertas has Philip I on obverse. Rome mint. I like it so much because it's very rare, taking into consideration it's an Ancient Imitation.

 

GORDIAN III
AR Antoninianus
OBVERSE: IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG, radiate, draped & cuirassed bust right
REVERSE: LIBERALITAS AVG III, Liberalitas standing left with abacus & cornucopia
Struck at Rome, 240AD
4.6g, 21mm
RIC 67

PHILIP I
AE Sestertius
OBVERSE: IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG, laureate, draped & cuirassed bust right
REVERSE: LIBERALITAS AVGG II S-C, Liberalitas standing left, holding abacus & cornucopiae
Struck at Rome, 247-8 AD
23.5g, 30mm
RIC 180a, Cohen 88

 

Commodus in 181 A.D. Obv: M.COMMODVS.ANTONINVS.AVG: Rev: LIB.AVG.IIII.COS.III.P.P: Liberalitas stg. front, head l., holding abacus and cornucopia. (refers to the fourth donative, of 181 A.D. at the end of the fifth year of his reign, as reckoned by the assumption of Tribunician powers.) RICIII #22. Here is a bigger picture, a little out of focus.

 

Welcome Jim... great coin - but I am getting older so bigger pics please!!

 

Nerva, 96-98 AD. Sestertius (Orichalcum, 35mm, 23.10 gm 6h), Rome, after 18 September 97 AD. Obv: IMP NERVA CAES AVG P M TR P II COS III P P Laureate head of Nerva to right. Rev. LIBERTAS PVBLICA / S - C Libertas standing left, holding pileus in her right hand and scepter in her left. Banti 34. BMC 135. BN 120. Cohen 118. RIC 100.

 

Nerva. 96-98 AD. AR Denarius (3.01 gm). Rome mint. Struck 97 AD. Obv: IMP NERVA CAES AVG P M TR P COS III P P, laureate head right. Rev: LIBERTAS PVBLICA, Libertas, draped, standing left, holding pileus in right hand and vindicta in left. RIC II 19; RSC 113; BMCRE 46-7.

 

Elagabalus. 218-222 AD. AR Denarius (2.99 gm). Rome mint. Struck 219-220 AD. Obv: Laureate and draped bust right. Rev: Libertas seated left, holding pileus and scepter. RIC IV 115; RSC 101b.

 

Vitellius. 69 AD. AR Denarius (3.31 gm). Rome mint. Struck circa late April-20 December. Obv: Laureate head right. Rev: Libertas standing facing, head right, holding pileus and vindicta. RIC I 105; RSC 47.

 

Mark Antony and Octavian. Thessalonica, E=Year 5=37 BC. AE (30mm, 17.15 gm. 1h). Obv: Draped bust of Eleutheria right; E (date) to left; [ΘΕ]ΣAΛONIKEΩN EΛEYΘEPIAΣ around. Rev: Nike advancing left, holding wreath and palm frond; M ANT AYT ΓKAI AVT around. RPC 1551. Sear, Imperators 672; SNG Cop 374. Glossy very dark green surfaces. VF. Flan weight adjustment scrapes (?) on the reverse. The bust of Libertas on the obverse "refers to the grant of freedom by the Triumvirs to Thessalonica in 42 BC after the battle of Philippi, the victory which is celebrated on the reverse" (RPC, p. 297).

 

Here is another Libertas from Claudius. Obv: TI.CLAVDIVS.CAESAR.AVG.P.M.TR.P.IMP: Bare head left. Rev: LIBERTAS.AVGVSTA: Libertas, dr., stg. facing, head right, holding pileus, l. extended: S--C to l. & r.

 

Libertas.. sans legs..