Sexy Caesar: Hadrian At The Beginning

These are sestertius coins from the very beginning of Hadrian's reign before he put on weight. It's easy to see why Trajan's wife Plotina was so sweet on the younger Hadrian at this time. He was certainly in his prime. I didn't put these on the Hadrian thread because I was wondering if anyone else collects early reign Hadrian coins specifically. I love these coins and wish I had 20 of them. There is no BD on these even though the photos look like it. It's all verdigris. On the photo of the reverse designs the order is reversed, oops sorry. You can still tell which is which by the color of the coin.

Post your any of your early Hadrian coins if you like...

 

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Very nice with even, honest wear and not too much corrosion.

My Hadrian is an earlier denarius, minted around 123, or at least after his third consulship in 119.

I have been meaning to expand beyond just one coin for Hadrian - high on my list is an even earlier issue; the very first ones apparently before he even grew out his whiskers:

https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=2696662

 

We're gonna build a wall and make the Celts pay for it!

 

Here's one from 117.





Hadrian (Augustus)
Coin: Silver Denarius
IMP CAES TRAIAN HADRIANO AVG DIVI TRA - Bust of Hadrian, laureate, cuirassed, right
PARTH F DIVI NER NEP P M TR P COS CONCORD - Concordia, draped, seated left on throne, holding patera in right hand and resting left on figure of Spes on low base; cornucopiae under throne
Exergue: CONCORD


Mint: Rome (117 AD)
Wt./Size/Axis: 2.90g / 19mm / 180
References:
RIC II, Hadrian 9c
BMC 18
RSC 248
Acquisition/Sale: world-coin Ebay $0.00 12/17
Notes: Oct 10, 18 - The Gary R. Wilson Collection

Scarce issue struck at the very beginning of Hadrian's reign!

 

I keep an eye out for "year 1" Hadrians. It seems like the official imperial image hadn't quite been nailed down at the start of the reign: there's often a kind of thinness and untidiness to the portraits which I find particularly agreeable. And the pompous first-months titulature with "OPTIMO" and whatnot is fun.

I have two of these so far:


Hadrian, 117AD: O: draped, cuirassed, laureate bust right, IMP CAES TRAIAN [HADRI]AN OPT AVG GER DAC / R: Pietas, veiled, standing left, raising right hand, [PART]HIC DIVI TRAIAN AVG F P M TR P COS P P. Seller's photo.

Hadrian, 117AD: O: draped, cuirassed, laureate bust right, IMP CAES DIVI TRA PARTH F DIVI NER NEP TRAIANO HADRIANO AVG / R: Fortuna seated left holding rudder and cornucopia, PONT MAX TR POT COS, in ex. FORT RED S C. Seller's photo.

Although, if we're talking attractive young Hadrians, for best results one probably has to look to the final years of the reign, where this "portrait of great beauty" (Mattingly) showing a young Hadrian was issued. Not mine, of course: the auction listing has a good description.

 

BMCRE III page 124 lists as * an aureus of Hadrian as Caesar with legend HADRIANO TRAIANO CAESARI. They comment that the BM has a replica of the coin "which makes an excellent impression" but the continued existence of the coin is doubtful. Such things get stolen and melted if, in fact, it was actually an ancient item. We have to realize that there were thousands of ancient coins that did not survive to modern times even as one example.

My personal earliest Hadrian is this Pietas denarius with reverse legend including PARTHIC DIVI TRAIAN AVG F PM TRP COS PP and with dative HADRIANO on the obverse. It even has the OPT(imo) title carried over from Trajan. RIC 86

 

Happily, another specimen seems to have turned up after BMCRE was published. I rambled a bit about it in this thread.

 

A Roman thread I can participate in, what a shock!

Mrs. TheRed gave me the sestertius below, my only coin of Hadrian.

Hadrian sestertius, Rome mint 119 A.D.
33.4mm, 26.681g
Obv: IMP CAESAR TRAIANVS HADRIANVS AVG, laureate bust right, bare chest, slight drapery on far shoulder.
Rev: PONT MAX TR POT COS III (high priest, holder of Tribunitian power, consul for the 3rd time), Felicitas standing slightly left, caduceus in right hand, cornucopia in left hand, S - C flanking across field.
RIC II 563b
ex Kenneth Edwin Day Collection

@Trebellianus and @dougsmit I really like the Pietas denarius of Hadrian you both have shown. I'll have to add the type to my want list. What's not to love about a coin with PIE in big bold letters

 

Actually! Is there a reverse die match between my coin and @dougsmit 's? Quick overlay in Photoshop:

 

Hadrian younger "heroic bust" with aegis.


Hadrian Denarius
(118 A.D.)
Rome Mint
IMP CAESAR TRAIAN HADRIANVS AVG, Laureate bust right, aegis on left shoulder
with visible snakes / Justitia enthroned left, holding patera and sceptre. PM TR P COS II, IVSTITIA in exergue.
RIC 42 (var.); RIC II.3 117.
(3.26 grams / 19 x 17 mm)

 

As a rule of thumb, the fewer there are of a coin, the more likely we are to find die matches. I suppose with research we might find how many dies there were for this or any other type. I would love to see such statistics for any and all issues for which they have been studied.

 

Those are great. I love @Trebellianus's Fortuna sestertius too, and the 117 issues above.

I was happy to get this one (119-121, RIC 610) for about 50 quid:

 

It's so great to see so many beautiful high grade young Hadrian coins here. (Mine are pretty pitted.) I really love all of them.

If you are a Hadrian fan and you haven't read Marguerite Yourcenar's Memoirs Of Hadrian, an undisputed literary classic, I highly recommend it. It's historical fiction, but it's not the easy to read swashbuckling variety. It starts out pretty dry but I was astonished by the time I finished it. Here is the first edition and the popular well illustrated trade paperback. I prefer the latter with photos of ancient statues and Piranesi etchings. It's impeccably researched and a mind blowing read!

 

2 earlier coins of Hadrian - Ar. den and a sestertius. ...

 

Here's my earliest Hadrian bronze -- a COS III but without the heroic bust.

Hadrian, AD 117-138.
Roman Æ dupondius, 13.78 g, , 26.1 mm, 7 h.
Rome, ca. AD 119-124.
Obv: IMP CAESAR TRAIAN HADRIANVS AVG P M TR P COS III, radiate and draped bust, right.
Rev: PIETAS AVGVSTI, Pietas, veiled, draped, standing facing right before a lighted altar, raising her right hand and holding a box of incense in her left.
Refs: RIC 601c; BMCRE 1233-34; Cohen 1044; Strack 542; RCV 3665; Hill 257.

 

I have a liking for the coins of Hadrian's reign here are my earliest : Sestertius Rome AD 119
Rev; Felicitas
RIC II.3 244;c 1192 var (drapery)
Sestertius Rome AD c119-120
Rev; Roma
RIC II .3 254;
Denarius Rome AD 123
Rev: Roma

 

My earliest Hadrian

HADRIAN
AR Denarius
OBVERSE: IMP CAESAR TRAIAN HADRIANVS AVG, laureate head right, draped left shoulder
REVERSE: P M TR P COS III, Aeternitas standing front, head left, holding the heads of the sun and moon
Struck at Rome, 119-121AD
3.0g, 18mm
RIC 115, C 131

 

I like Hadrian's travel series but in no way consider myself focused on his coinage. That said, I do like the early portraits, too. Mine, from 117:

HADRIAN
AR Denarius. 3.38g, 18.8mm. Rome mint, AD 117. RIC 9; RSC 248a. O: IMP CAES TRAIAN HADRIANO AVG DIVI TRA, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right wearing balteus (sword-belt) across chest. R: PARTH F DIVI NER NEP P M TRP COS, Concordia seated left on throne, holding patera, arms rested on figure of Spes; CONCORD below.
Ex Michael Kelly Collection

 

indeed...did you check the obverse too?...

 

Just ordered mine. Thanks for sharing.