Marcus Aurelius sestertius

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by thejewk, Sep 18, 2019.

  1. thejewk

    thejewk Well-Known Member

    A new additions today, a rather small but very fat sestertius from Marcus Aurelius' final year.

    MA Sestertius.png

    Sear 5017
    M AVREL ANTONINVS AVG TR P XXXIIII
    VIRTVS AVG IMP X COS III PP SC
    29mm, 21.74g, about 5mm thick, 180AD

    It seemed appropriate to have Virtus on the reverse, both for its military connotations, and the other excellence for which Marcus is known in the form of arete.

    Share your Marcus coins, Virtus reverses, or anything you feel appropriate.
     
    chrsmat71, galba68, octavius and 19 others like this.
  2. Avatar

    Guest User Guest



    to hide this ad.
  3. ancient coin hunter

    ancient coin hunter 3rd Century Usurper

    Marcus as Caesar from Alexandria. Note also the Marcus' quote in my signature...

    Type: AE Drachm, 33mm, 22.95 grams

    Obverse: Bare headed and draped bust of Aurelius right
    M AVPHLIOC KAICAP

    Reverse: Elpis Standing left holding flower and hitching skirt
    LEND EKATOV

    Reference: BMC 1238 listed as "rare" by R.A. Numismatics

    aurelius.jpg
     
    galba68, octavius, TIF and 13 others like this.
  4. Marsyas Mike

    Marsyas Mike Well-Known Member

    Nice looking sestertius, thejewk. Most of mine don't have full legends they way yours does. The reverse artistry is exquisite - and it is one of the few Virtus types I've seen that looks definitely to be a woman. Virtus is gender-confusing to me - and here is Wikipedia:

    "The deity was represented in a variety of ways, for example, on the coins of Tetricus, they could appear as a matron, an old man, or a young man, with a javelin, battle helmet, or only clothed in a cape."

    Here is a fine article on Virtus from FORVM:

    https://www.forumancientcoins.com/moonmoth/reverse_virtus.html

    I have a very hard-to-photograph Marcus Aurelius sestertius with Virtus standing. It suffers from a really crude attempt to remove what was maybe a nice green patina (I didn't do it, I promise). It is somewhat easier to see in hand, but it is still "camouflaged" by uneven raw brass/patina.

    I posted it a while back because I was interested in Virtus as a type for Marcus Aurelius. My post was not very clear because I made it sound as if I were fishing for "rarity." Mostly I was interested in Virtus. When I posted this, I thought Virtus was a scarce type for Marcus Aurelius, but I was not very familiar with using OCRE at that time - but just now I got 57 hits in all metals. So obviously, Virtus was an important type for Aurelius:

    http://numismatics.org/ocre/results?q=deity_facet:"Virtus"+AND+portrait_facet:"Marcus+Aurelius"

    Here's my original post:

    https://www.cointalk.com/threads/marcus-aurelius-sestertius-virtus-rare-does-it-matter.321327/

    [​IMG]

    Marcus Aurelius Æ Sestertius
    (172-173 A.D.)
    Rome Mint

    M ANTONINVS AVG TR P XXVII, laureate, cuirassed bust right / [IMP VI COS III]
    SC, Virtus, standing right, holding spear resting on shield
    RIC 1069.
    (25.82 grams / 30 mm)
     
    galba68, octavius, TIF and 10 others like this.
  5. Andres2

    Andres2 Well-Known Member

  6. Justin Lee

    Justin Lee I learn by doing

    Nice! I got this MA sestertius about a week or so ago:

    [​IMG]
    Marcus Aurelius, Ruled 161-180 AD
    AE Sestertius, Struck 168-169 AD, Rome

    Obverse: M ANTONINVS AVG ARM PARTH MAX, laureate head right.
    Reverse: TR POT XXIII • IMP V COS III; Fortuna, draped, seated left on low seat, holding rudder set on ground in right hand and cornucopiae in left hand; S-C across field; FORT RED in exergue.
    References: RIC 962, Cohen 213
    Size: 30mm, 22.5g
     
    galba68, octavius, TIF and 11 others like this.
  7. Clavdivs

    Clavdivs Well-Known Member

    Really nice looking coin.. great reverse!

    upload_2019-9-18_13-48-32.png

    Here is mine with a Mars reverse .. 33mm.
     
    galba68, octavius, TIF and 10 others like this.
  8. thejewk

    thejewk Well-Known Member

    Great coins everyone, and thanks for the links @Marsyas Mike , very interesting reading. It's a real shame that the patina is affected on your coin from a botched cleaning job. I have had my eye on a Commodus sestertius with a similar complete patina and it is very attractive.

    And thanks @Clavdivs , the good style of the reverse was what made me look a second time. Certainly a skilled engraver.
     
  9. Bing

    Bing Illegitimi non carborundum Supporter

    Marcus Aurelius 2.jpg
    MARCUS AURELIUS
    AE Sestertius
    OBVERSE: AVRELIVS CAESAR AVG PII F COS, bare head right
    REVERSE: IVVENTAS S C, Juventas, wearing a long robe, standing left, holding a patera, sprinkling incense on a candelabrum
    Struck at Rome, 140 AD
    12.4g, 27mm
    RIC 1232, C 393, S4831

    Marcus Aurelius 3.jpg
    MARCUS AURELIUS
    AE Sestertius
    OBVERSE: M ANTONINVS AVG GERM SARMATICVS, laureate head right
    REVERSE: TR P XXIX IMP VIII COS III S-C, Annona standing left, holding corn-ears & cornucopiae; modius with two corn-ears and poppy at her feet
    Struck at Rome, 175 AD
    22.3g, 30mm
    RIC 1154
     
    galba68, octavius, TIF and 9 others like this.
  10. Marsyas Mike

    Marsyas Mike Well-Known Member

    Yeah, it is too bad about the terrible cleaning job - thanks for the sympathy! I paid a US quarter for it - no kidding, a quarter. It came in a lot. So I always considered it a great investment, since I am pretty sure I can get a dollar for it. :greedy:
     
  11. Orielensis

    Orielensis Well-Known Member

    Nice coin, @thejewk ! That's a fine portrait, and the coin has, at least in my eyes, a very attractive contrasting patina. Certainly a worthy addition to your collection.

    Here is a sestertius struck shortly after the succesful Roman campaign against the Marcomanni and their allies in 171 AD, due to which Marcus Aurelius assumed the title Germanicus. Roma sits on the weapons captured from the Germanic tribes.

    Rom – Marcus Aurelius, Sesterz, Roma.png
    Marcus Aurelius, Roman Empire, sestertius, 171–172 AD, Rome mint. Obv: M ANTONINVS AVG TR [P XXVI], bust of Marcus Aurelius, draped and laureate, r. Rev: [IMP] VI COS III, Roma seated l. on pile of armor, leaning on shield, holding sceptre; in fields flanking, SC. 30mm, 26.95g. Ref: RIC III Marcus Aurelius, 1037.

    In 176 AD, Marcus Aurelius and his son Commodus celebrated a joint triumph for the German victories in the first Marcomannic War. Commodus assumed the titles Sarmaticus and Germanicus. Some of the coins struck to commemorate this short-lived victory show a pile of captured, distinctly Germanic arms:


    Rom – Commodus, sesterz, de germanis.png
    Commodus, Roman Empire, sestertius, 177 AD, Rome mint. Obv: IMP L AVREL COMMODVS AVG [GERM] SARM; laureate and draped bust of Commodus r. Rev: T[R P] II COS [P]P; pile of Germanic arms (round and oblong shields, spears, war trumpets, scale armor, bows and standards?); in fields, S-C; in exergue, DE GERMANIS. 31mm, 21.84g. Ref: RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1570. Ex CNG, e-auction 142, lot 134; ex CNG, e-auction 447, lot 471. Smoothed.
     
    galba68, octavius, TIF and 10 others like this.
  12. Justin Lee

    Justin Lee I learn by doing

    Very cool, historical coin there, @Orielensis!! And a very neat reverse!! I have a rough As from just before that time when Commodus was still a Caesar, but just entering the College of the Pontiffs, as denoted with the reverse type:
    [​IMG]
    Commodus, Ruled 177-192 AD
    AE As, Struck 175-176 AD, Rome Mint
    Obverse: COMMODO CAES AVG FIL GERM SARM, Bust of Commodus, bare-headed, draped, right.
    Reverse: PIETAS AVG, Priestly implements: knife, aspergillum, jug, etc. SC in exergue.
    References: RIC III 1539, Cohen 405, BMC 1534
    Size: 26mm, 10.5g
    Notes: Scare. Struck at the moment when his father received the titles of Germanicus and Sarmaticus thanks to his victories over the peoples of the Rhenish limes. Each priestly implement represented a different high priesthood (college) into which the Caesar or emperor had been adopted.

    And I'll throw in a smaller dupondius of your Mars reverse (different type):
    [​IMG]
    Marcus Aurelius, Ruled 161-180 AD
    AE Dupondius, Struck 170-171 AD, Rome Mint
    Obverse: IMP M ANTONINVS AVG TR P XXV; Radiate head right.
    Reverse: COS III; Mars, helmeted, naked except for cloak flying behind, advancing right, holding spear in right hand and trophy over left shoulder in left hand.
    References: RIC III (M. Aurelius) 994, Cohen 129
    Size: 24mm, 14.03g
     
    galba68, octavius, TIF and 9 others like this.
  13. Terence Cheesman

    Terence Cheesman Well-Known Member

    Marcus Aurelius as Caesar. Ae Sestertius RIC 1234c 140-144 A.D. Rv Priestly implements 22.07 grms 36 mm maureliuss7.jpg
     
  14. cmezner

    cmezner do ut des Supporter

    A consecration issue struck posthumous under Commodus:
    Æ Sestertius, Rome, 180 AD

    27 x 30 mm, 20.13 g
    Ref.: RIC III Commodus 657, BMCRE 389, Cohen 85;

    Ob.: DIVVS M AN-TONINVS PIVS Bare head right
    Rev.: CONSECRATIO Eagle standing right on garlanded altar, one open wing, head left. S - C across field
    upload_2019-9-18_20-48-16.png upload_2019-9-18_20-48-30.png
     
    Alegandron, galba68, octavius and 9 others like this.
  15. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    My first Aurelius sestertius with Roma seated on a cuirass has an obverse field that seems more concave than the reverse making me wonder if it was the upper die rather than the anvil. I also have a Faustina II with this situation and would like to understand what I am seeing.
    rc2280bb0134.jpg
     
    Alegandron, galba68, octavius and 8 others like this.
  16. Valens

    Valens Well-Known Member

    And these are my coins of Marcus Aurelius.
    Favorite is RIC 1046 R4![​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]
     
    Alegandron, galba68, octavius and 5 others like this.
  17. Valens

    Valens Well-Known Member

  18. octavius

    octavius Well-Known Member

    Two sestertii of Marcus.

    3490428.jpg 4780865l.jpg
     
  19. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    Pocket Piece (pocketus piecus)

    MARCUS AURELIUS:
    [​IMG]
    RI Aurelius Marcus 161-180 AE Sestertius S-C
     
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page