A challenging travel series coin of Hadrian

Hadrian produced a celebrated series of travel coins commemorating his travels to the various provinces of the Roman Empire. This series is much beloved by collectors, and is very popular to collect. These coins come in gold, silver, and bronze. These were all believed to have been made in Rome, I am not including provincial issues which served a different purpose, to be used as local currency in their locale. These "travel series" coins were meant to spread the propaganda of the emperor's travels.

Generally the set is understood to include 4 distinct types:
1) Location name alone
2) Adventi Augustus (arrival of the emperor)
3) Restitutori (restorer of the province, essentially building statues and cancelling debts)
4) Exercitus (military exercises, essentially dress review of the frontier legionary camps)

I believe there are 28 different locations in the series. A 29th location is seen on coins of Aelius, Hadrian's caesar (who predeceased him).

There are several ways to collect the series. Probably the most popular is to stick with the silver provincial types. Of these, there are 8 of the first type (location name alone): Aegyptos, Africa, Alexandria, Asia, Germania, Hispania, Italia, and Nile River. A 9th location is available in silver- the Restitutori type of Gallia. All of the rest are only in bronze, in denominations of the sestertius, dupondius, and as. A number of types are also available in gold; these are very desirable pieces.

Rarity is sometimes hard to quantify. Certain locations are extremely rare, and, for example, I have never seen an example of Dalmatia. Cilicia, Nicomedia, and Noricum also seem to be extremely hard to find. Apart from these, the rarer provinces seem to be Arabia, Bithynia, Britannia, Macedonia, Moesia, Phrygia, Raetia, Sicilia, Syria, and Thracia. The rest are relatively common.

Hadrian's journeys took him throughout the empire on three trips. The first was from 117-118, and was his journey from Antioch to Rome, via Asia Minor, the Balkans, and the Danube front, after he learned he was emperor. The second was a trip across the Western Empire, to far flung places such as Pannonia, Britannia, and Hispania, and then by boat to Asia Minor and Greece. The last trip took him to Sicily, North Africa, Greece, Asia Minor, Palestine, and Egypt.

Coins were issued in the later part of his reign, commemorating his visits to many of these places.

A collection of every one of these locations would be quite an undertaking, given the rarities involved. I have not seen a complete collection, but I have seen some very comprehensive sets, including an outstanding one by one of the members here.

I am making some headway with my own set, and recently added a province I had not yet encountered before, and one which appears to be missing from many of the comprehensive sets:



Hadrian arrival to Moesia sestertius
RIC II.3 1794

Moesia was a province in the Balkans, mostly compromising parts of modern day Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and Serbia. Moesia, sometimes divided into Moesia Superior and Moesia Inferior, was of strategic importance because it was one of the frontiers on the Danube. Trajan campaigned from here against the Dacians. Later, the Danube frontier and Moesia would be the gateway into Europe used by the migrating tribes in the 4th century, such as the Goths. But in Hadrian's day, this was still centuries away.

Collecting these coins is fun, challenging, and teaches a good deal about the history and geography of the ancient Mediterranean and European world.

 

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Very nice coin and write-up. I should point out that there are certainly both Restitvtori silver Travel Series denarii beside Gallia (I was just looking at a Hispania, and have seen Africa and Macedonia), and Adventi (or Adventvs) Avg silver denarii (such as Roma, which I own and recently posted in another thread, Hispania, and Africa). See generally Foss pp. 114-119 for what appears to be a complete list of Travel Series types all in one place..

 

I'm looking forward to getting an Egypt type one of these days.

 

Interesting coin from an interesting series, @Nap

Although I haven't been actively pursuing Hadrian's travel series coins, I have lucked into a few.

Here is an as featuring the galley right (for departure):


Hadrian Æ As
(125-127 A.D.)
Rome Mint
HADRIANVS AVGVSTVS, laureate bust right, slight drapery on shoulder / COS III above galley with four rowers right, [S C] in exergue.
RIC II.3 820 (RIC 673c/d) var.
(drapery on shoulder; see note).
(10.33 grams / 25 x 23 mm)
eBay Sept. 2021
Note: Bust right with slight drapery on shoulder; this occurs often but is rarely noted (including OCRE, which describes only "head"); but some sources note this; see CNG Online e-Auction 58, etc. Galley right indicates departure per CT post, Andres2 11/2017; "Reverse refers to Hadrian's travels around the empire on his first great tour." Harlan J. Berk

Here is Achaea:


Hadrian Æ Sestertius
(134-138 A.D.)
Rome Mint
[HADR]IANVS AVG COS III PP laureate, draped bust right / [RESTITVTO]RI ACH[AIAE], Hadrian, togate, standing left, raising up kneeling Achaea; vase
with palm between figures.
RIC 938; Cohen 1216.
(26.17 grams / 31 mm)
eBay Nov. 2018

Africa:


Hadrian Æ Sestertius
(134-138 A.D.)
Rome Mint
[HADR]IANVS AVG COS III PP laureate, draped bust right / [RE]STITVTORI AFR[IC]AE SC, Hadrian togate, standing left raising up Africa, kneeling left, corn-ears growing betweet.
RIC 941f; Cohen 1226.
(21.57 grams / 32 mm)
eBay Feb. 2020

A "return home" type from one of the trips, Hadrian greeted by Rome:


Hadrian Æ Sestertius
(133-135 A.D.)
Rome Mint
[HADRI]ANVS AVG COS III PP, laureate, draped bust right / ADVEN[TVS AVGVSTI]
S-C, Hadrian standing right (on left) holding roll, clasps hands with Roma standing left (on right) holding spear.
RIC II.3 2063 (old RIC 742)
(22.51 grams / 29 mm)
eBay May 2020
Attribution Note: Reverse legend can be AVG or AVGVSTI for type, but full ADVENTVS to left makes it likely this is AVGVSTI, based on other examples I saw online: RIC II.3 2063 (old RIC 742)

I just got this one and I am not entirely sure it is a travel series - a bit too early, but I am including it because of the reverse, which resembles the restitution issues. The legend is typically modest in the Hadrianic way - restorer of the world.


Hadrian Æ Sestertius
(120-121 A.D.)
Rome Mint
IMP CAESAR TRAIANVS HADRIANVS AVG P M [TR P COS III], laureate, bare chest bust right, drapery on shoulder / REST[ITVTORI ORBIS TERRARVM] S C, Orbis, towered, kneeling right, holding globe, extending hand to Hadrian standing left, extending hand
RIC II.3 451 (ex RIC 594b).
BMCRE 1211; Cohen 1285.
(19.84 grams / 31 mm)
eBay Dec. 2021

 

That's a series I would love to explore, I realize having too many themes already though....

I have only a RESTITUTORI HISPANIA worn specimen


HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P , laureate and draped bust right
RESTITVTORI HISPANIAE, Hadrian raising kneeling figure of Hipania
24.3 gr
Ref : RCV # 3633, scarce

Q

 

My three Travel Series denarii:







And a preview of the fourth, on its way to me from our own @PeteB, so no write-up yet. One of 11 varieties of the type listed in RSC, this is RSC II 137, with the most detailed depiction of Africa (with an actual face!) that I've seen for this type:



The denarius with left-facing bust (bare headed or otherwise) was apparently not listed for this type in the old RIC II, but the left-facing bare headed variety is possibly RIC II.3 1497 in the new volume. If anyone has the new volume and would be kind enough to look it up for me, I would appreciate it.

 

New RIC 1497 is correct, rated Scarce.

Cohen 137, only three specimens in Reka Devnia hoard.

 

Thanks!

 

Nice, thanks for that, I did fail to mention some others that also come in silver, though I have never seen any silver Restitutori coins other than Gallia, Hispania, and maybe Italia.

 

Heres a map with Hadrian's travels

 

OCRE says (possibly in error) that it's 1496. It contains links to two examples in Vienna and one in the British Museum. The British Museum listing also cross-references it to RIC II.3 no. 1496.

 

From looking at the OCRE references and the linked examples, it appears to me that @curtislclay is correct: 1496 has Hadrian's laureate head left. 1497, like mine, has his bare head left.

 

Bravissimo! I have never seen the Moisia before. Here's of my travel coins:

 

Wow, nice one, Nap! I don't even recall that Moesia was represented, and certainly have never seen one before. I'm still struggling with my silver set. The right Alexandria at the right price is proving elusive.

Africa

Hispania

Aegyptos


Asia


Germania


Italia


Nilus

 

Congratulations on acquiring that scarce Moesia type! What other types do you have?

Here are mine, from your categories 1 and 3. Silver only so far. When it comes to 'one of each location in silver (either categorie 1 or 3)' I'm only missing Italia I believe. Although the Nile isn't a location in my world...
What bothers me too is that certain locations that are on bronze coins are not on silver and the other way around.

 

I suspect rather a lot of us are drawn to Hadrian's travels


hadrianvs avg cos iii pp, bare head left,

rev. africa, Africa wearing elephant skin head dress, reclining left, holding scorpion and cornucopiae, a basket of corn ears in front of her

RIC 1497 (RSC 137),


hadrianvs avg cos iii p p, bare head right,
rev. italia, Italia standing left, holding sceptre and cornucopiae

RSC 867; RIC 1541,


hadrianvs avg cos iii p p, bare head right,
rev. nilus, Nilus reclining left on urn, holding cornucopiae and reed, crocodile below, hippopotamus before

RSC 989; RIC 1544

 

Thanks, I have 16 provinces represented right now.

Nice examples that have been shown all!. To avoid redundancy I'll show a few that haven't been shared yet.


Sestertius, Adventus Bithynia



Dupondius (or As), Cappadocia


Sestertius, Dacia


Sestertius, Adventus Judaea


Sestertius, Adventus Phrygia



Sestertius, Exercitus Raetia



Sestertius, Adventus Sicilia

 

It does seem that a lot of us love collecting this series. But 16 provinces is amazing! I've never seen a lot of them before.

 

Do you think that the anepigraphic types with Hadrian stomping on a crocodile also belong to the travel series? This was discussed in an earlier thread here: Link

It's pointed out that Egypt holds a special place in Hadrian's travel series and this type seems to clearly signal Egypt with its crocodile motif. The style and legends further suggest its placement within this series.

Yet questions remain: Why the anepigraphic reverse? Do these coins belong to Hadrian's travel series? Is the reverse a depiction of "Hadrian-Horus", and why should we attribute it so?

Here's my example:


Hadrian Æ sestertius. Rome, 134-138 AD. HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P, Laureate and draped bust of Hadrian right. / Hadrian bare-headed and in military dress standing right, holding spear and parazonium and resting foot on crocodile, S-C in fields. 27.23g, 34mm. RIC II 782, C. 1384

 

Here are my write-up and attempt to photograph my new Hadrian Travel Series denarius that recently arrived from Akropolis Ancient Coins (run by @PeteB). To me, the scratches on the obverse are far outweighed by the fact that in terms of Africa's face and in certain other respects, the reverse may be the most detailed of any specimen of this type that I've ever come across.

Hadrian AR Denarius, Travel Series, Rome Mint, 130-133 AD (according to RIC II.3) [134-138 AD according to Mattingly & Sydenham in old RIC II]. Obv. Bare head left, HADRIANVS - AVG COS III PP / Rev. Africa reclining left, leaning with left elbow on rock, wearing elephant-skin headdress, holding scorpion with extended right hand and cradling cornucopiae with left hand and arm, basket of grain-ears to left at her feet, AFRICA. RIC II.3 Hadrian 1497 (2009 edition) (see http://numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.2_3(2).hdn.1497 ); old RIC II Hadrian 299 (1926 ed.) var. (head right), RSC II Hadrian 137, Sear RCV II 3459 var. (laureate head left), BMCRE III Hadrian 821 var. (this type cited at BMCRE 821 fn. at p. 344); Foss 81 at p. 117 (dating Hadrian’s travels in the province of Africa to AD 128) [Clive Foss, Roman Historical Coins (Seaby, London, 1990)]. 18 mm., 3.31 g. Purchased from Akropolis Ancient Coins, Jan. 2022.