First coin of 2022 (and yes, another showing off thread)

After my health suffered a serious kick in the back side and I thought I will be mentioned as Divus Ambrozius soon (not Covid), it appears I'll be staying along for a while.
And what could I do except search and buy some goodies.
I had a successful auction, although I didn't buy exceptional coins, I managed to add new rulers in my albums (Carus, Carinus, Numerian, Severina, a Herennia Etruscilla as, a Trebonianus Gallus sestertius), plus a Constantine I type I always admired.
Always good to tick another box.
But the coin I wanted the most and decided to join the auction for (and the first I won) is this Commodus denarius.


Commodus AD 180-192. Rome
Denarius AR
19 mm, 2,22 g
AD 190. Obv: M COMM ANT P FEL AVG BRIT P P, head of Commodus, laureate, right / Rev: TEMP FELIC P M TR P XV COS VI, winged caduceus between crossed cornucopiae
RIC III Commodus 209

My only Commodus denarius had a less impressive portrait, slightly centering issues and overall less appealing (although I still like it)

Every collector knows about Commodus. The last emperor from the Nerva-Antonine dynasty, a very eccentric man (to put it mildly), megalomaniac, obsessed by Hercules and thinking he was a new Romulus.
I think this is enough to describe his style: all the months of the year were renamed to correspond exactly with his (now twelve) names: Lucius, Aelius, Aurelius, Commodus, Augustus, Herculeus, Romanus, Exsuperatorius, Amazonius, Invictus, Felix and Pius.
Not to mention he wanted to rename Rome with a new name, coincidentally Colonia Lucia Annia Commodiana.
But the gladiator emperor was murdered on 31st of December 192, after his mistress Marcia found a list prepared by Commodus, containing some names he wanted eliminated, her name being on top of the list.
He was declared a public enemy by the Senate, with a damnatio memoriae, but in 195 Septimius Severus rehabilitated Commodus' memory and even got him deified.
How much was entirely true, we will never know, but anyway, one thing is certain - his reign changed the history of the Roman Empire.


The denarius I won is not FDC and I noticed the cracks and exfoliation. Plus the worn reverse die. But the portrait is very expressive, artistic, and the reverse is "different" i.e. not somebody standing or seated. Plus I find that the crossed cornucopiae are elegant and symbolic.


Please post, in CT tradition
- favorite Commodus coins
- cornucopiae/crossed cornucopiae/caduceus coins
- new acquisitions.

 

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Congrats with adding 2 Commodus denarii to your collection.
Heres my favourite:

 

@ambr0zie....Glad you're feeling better..That's a nice looking coin!...A much more uncommon reverse but I really do like that strong realistic portrait...Sweet coin..
Commodus Denarius (light weight) RIC#126
Commodus AR Denarius.Rome mint 186 AD 1.87gr 17mm
Obverse-M COMM ANT P FEL AVG BRIT, laureate head right
Reverse- P M TR P XI IMP VII COS V PP, Concordia standing front, head left, holding standard in each hand.CONC MIL (below)

 

Sorry to read About your recent health scare and very glad to read you're on the mend
That is one BOSS Commodus
My favorite Comode coin that I own is in bronze:

 

Yep, I am aware of these types with the club of Hercules (very interesting coins in conjunction with Commodus) and there was an As I wanted to steal in the auction, but it was quite worn. The hammer price was more than I wanted to pay - especially for a coin that is not visually attractive even for my indulgent eyes.

I preferred to spend my budget on other interesting coins - will show them off in the near future, of course.

 

My favourite Commodus coin: a sestertius with Commodus delivering a speech to the Praetorian Guard.
Commodus, AE sestertius, Rome 186
Obv.: M. COMMODVS AN[T. P.FELIX AVG. BRIT.], laureate bust right
Rev.: [P.]M. TR.P. XI [IMP VII COS. V P.P.] , Commodus standing l. on platform, haranguing six soldiers standing r.; in exergue [FI]D. EXERC[IT].

For the crossed cornucopias, I have to go East:

Nabataean Kingdom, Aretas IV and Shuqilat, AE 16 mm (9 BC - 40 AD)
Obv.: jugate busts of Aretas and Shuqilat right
Rev.: Nabataean legend: HRTT / ShQY / LT, crossed cornucopias

No new acquisition... I acquired these 2 coins when Jimmy Carter was President of the United States and Angela Kasner (she had not yet married Herr Merkel) an undergraduate student at the Karl-Marx Universität Leipzig in East Germany.

 

...my only coin of the scoundrel( i know everything they say about him isn't true, but there's too much for some of it not to be)... Commodus denarius, emperors laureate bust right obverse, Mars standing reverse, 'My ninth year as emperor". 17mm, 3.21gms

 

Commodus wife name was Marcia…How was that pronounced.?
My wife’s name is Marcia and she is always reading my notes…
Perhaps I should take heed….

 

Nice denarii. One of my favorite Roman coins is my Commodus as Hercules denarius.



Roman Empire
Commodus (AD 177-192)
AR Denarius, Rome mint, struck ca. AD 192
Dia.: 17 mm
Wt.: 2.66 g
Obv.: L AEL AVREL COMMA VG P FEL; Commodus bust right wearing lion skin on head.
Rev.: HER-CVL RO-MAN AV-GV; Club in wreath
Ref.: RIC III 251, Scarce
Ex W.F. Stoeckin Collection (1888-1975). Acquired in the 1960s from Prof. L. De Nicola in Rome

Here are a few other Commodus coins I like.

Roman Empire
Commodus (AD 177-192)
AR Denarius, Rome mint, struck ca. AD 187
Dia.: 18 mm
Wt.: 2.77 g
Obv.: M COMM ANT P FEL AVG BRIT; Laureate bust right
Rev.: AVCT PIET P M TR P XII IMP VIII COS V P P; Pietas standing left, sacrificing over altar with incense and patera, holding box.
Ref.: RIC III 146, scarce
Ex James Pickering Collection of Britannic Coinage; Ex AMCC 1, lot 158 (Dec. 1, 2018)


Roman Empire
Commodus under Marcus Aurelius
AE Sestertius, Rome mint, struck ca. AD 179
Dia.: 33 mm
Wt.: 26.37 g
Obv.: L AVREL COMMODVS AVG TR P IIII; Laureate head of Commodus right
Rev.: IMP III COS II P P S C; Minerva standing left extending right hand, left hand resting on shield on ground to right, spear resting against shield
Ref.: RIC III 1607 p. 342 (under Marcus Aurelius)
Ex Kenneth W. Dorney Auction 9, Lot 105 (Nov. 29, 2019)

 

Nice one @ambr0zie and glad you recovered

Nice Commodus portrait. So far I've not been able to score a Commodus denarius to my taste that my wallet would also like.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to show off (again) my favorite roman coin, which happens to be a Commodus sestertius


Commodus, Sestertius- Rome mint, 192 CE
Wt.: 21.01 g
Obv.: L AEL AVREL CO---MM AVG P FEL,Laureate head of Commodus right
Rev.: HERCVLI ROMANO AVG,Hercules facing, head left, holding club and lion's skin, resting on trophy.SCin field
Ref : RCV #5752, Cohen #203

My grandfather, born 1894, has been "lucky" enough to get involved in the whole WWI where he's been wounded five times (two actual wounds and three gas attacks). While digging a trench at Verdun battle (1916), he eventually found three coins that he carefully kept with him during three years (he's not been sent back home earlier than 1919). After the end of the war, being on a train, back home with two other "poilus" he decided he whould give one coin to each of them and keep the last one for himself (probably one of the first "ancient coin giveaway" in the 20th century). When I was 18, being the only one in the family showing an interest for coins he told me the story and gifted me with the coin.



My grand dad finding it during his service and keeping it until the end of the war and for almost his entire life makes it the coin I will keep whatever occurs in my own life and/or to my coin collections.

The coin was minted the last year in Commodus' rule, in 192 CE, as he'd turn completely crazy finding himself being a reincarnation of Hercules. Even though the obverse doesn't show him with the lionskin, the reverse has an explicit legend and clearly shows the emperor/hercules with Hercules' attributes.

And to finish with, the following comment is taken from the description of a similar example (in far much better condition) in NAC auction 4, # 477 :Few Roman coins excite as much commentary as those of Commodus, which show him possessed of Hercules. Not only do they present an extraordinary image, but they offer incontrovertible support to the literary record. The reports of Commodus’ megalomania and infatuation with Hercules are so alarming and fanciful that if the numismatic record was not there to confirm, modern historians would almost certainly regard the literary record as an absurd version of affairs, much in the way reports of Tiberius’ depraved behaviour on Capri are considered to be callous exaggerations. Faced with such rich and diverse evidence, there can be no question that late in his life Commodus believed that Hercules was his divine patron. Indeed, he worshipped the demigod so intensely that he renamed the month of September after him, and he eventually came to believe himself to be an incarnation of the mythological hero. By tradition, Hercules had fashioned his knotted club from a wild olive tree that he tore from the soil of Mount Helicon and subsequently used to kill the lion of Cithaeron when he was only 18 years old. Probably the most familiar account of his bow and arrows was his shooting of the Stymphalian birds while fulfilling his sixth labour. The reverse inscription HERCVLI ROMANO AVG (‘to the August Roman Hercules’) makes the coin all the more interesting, especially when put into context with those of contemporary coins inscribed HERCVLI COMMODO AVG, which amounts to a dedication ‘to Hercules Commodus Augustus’.

Sorry for the numerous people who already know the story. My excuse is we have new members here

Q

 

I'm so sorry to hear that you were ill, @ambr0zie, and am very glad that you're feeling better.

I always enjoy it when you write about your grandfather, @Cucumbor. It's interesting to think that my grandfather, who was also at Verdun -- on the other side! -- and was wounded there, could easily have faced yours across the line. And here we are today, together on Coin Talk. It's something positive to think about.

Speaking of peaceful interactions:

Commodus (son of Marcus Aurelius), AR Denarius 181 AD. Obv. Laureate head right, M COMMODVS ANTONINVS AVG/ Rev. Pax standing left, holding branch & cornucopiae, TR P VI IMP IIII COS III P P. RIC III 17, RSC II 806. 17 mm., 3.15 g.

 

@DonnaML, I always think of your grand father when I post this coin

Q

 

@Cucumbor - this is a kind of story I like to hear again and again. And for me, and I am quite glad it's is the same for you, that particular coin would be much more worthy than a coin bought with thousands of dollars.
I also have some coins gifted by my grandfather, some modern 20th century coins, when I was 5-6 he used to "pay" me sometimes to help him work. Of course, work was just a game. I cherish these coins a lot.

@Mammothtooth - exactly 5 minutes ago I was thinking about how native English speakers pronounce Roman names (never had a face to face conversation on this subject with a native English speaker) but logically thinking and working with English speakers for the last 15 years, probably you don't pronounce some of correctly. One of them I can bet you pronounce it totally different - Vespasian. I know how you are tempted to pronounce it - I can guarantee it is incorrect, or anyway, not how the Romans pronounced this name.
(and I do NOT mean any disrespect or something - if any of you hear me speaking English you would say I have a thick Russian like accent although this is not 100% true; a parallel example, in the first days, when speaking with my Finnish colleagues at work I was wondering what language are they using, and yep, it was English, but their accent sounds very strange).

Since my native language has the same accent and pronunciation as Latin, Marcia in Latin would be pronounced something like
MARCH - EE - A (I think)

(and not MARSH - EE - A like I think you pronounce it in English)

For example on this guide showing us how to pronounce MARCIA Otacilia Severa
https://ro.howtopronounce.com/marcia-otacilia-severa
I am 99% sure the pronunciation provided by the website is incorrect.
Otacilia would be also OTACH - EE - LEE - A, not Otashilia.

@DonnaML and the other colleagues wishing me health - thanks. It was a rough time - combo of food poisoning + a kidney condition I suffer from. Got to the emergency hospital 2 times in 2 days and lost 6 kilograms in a week (well, that's not entirely bad)

 

Given a current thread about criticism from another forum, to me this thread epitomises everything CT stands for. Coins, history and nice people. “Nice “ being an undervalued superlative along with decency.
I’m glad you’re doing well @ambr0zie and pulling through. I lost 10 pounds over a week last year with something called SIBO. If I could bottle it I’d be a millionaire and bid at Triton!

 

@Dafydd thank you for the kind words. I am interested in SIBO but just the side effects.
@Mammothtooth - forgot to confirm - the gladiator emperor's wife was Crispina (exiled and executed before his death). Marcia was his mistress.

 

You and me too!

 

Glad you are feeling better @ambr0zie and sorry you were not well earlier. Those are some nice Commodus denarii you have - he is one of my favorite emperors to collect, so many oddball reverse types and sometimes the portraits are spectacular.

Back when I was starting out on Coin Talk in 2017, I lucked into a Commodus denarius that had me stumped. I posted it and @zumbly set me on the right path. Turns out is is quite rare and got an extensive write-up in the CNG auction zumbly found. This is one of the best coins in my junkyard collection of ancients
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/commodus-denarius-attribution-help-please-liberalitas-rev.303052/

I've included CNG's research notes - a very interesting issue, the last "liberality" of his reign, possibly connected to a fire of 192 A.D.:


Commodus Denarius
(192 A.D.)
Rome Mint
[L] AEL AVREL COMM AVG P FEL, laureate head right /LIB AVG VIIII P M TR P [XVII
COS VII P P], Liberalitas stdg. half left with abacus & cradling cornucopia; star to left.
RIC 240; RSC 327. Very rare.
(2.01 grams / 17 mm)
eBay Sep. 2017 Lot @ $7.81

CNG eAuction 402, Lot: 531. Estimate $300.
Sold for $900. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.
Commodus. AD 177-192. AR Denarius (17mm, 3.27 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck AD 192. Laureate head right / LIB AVG VIIII P M TR P XVII COS VII P P, Liberalitas standing half left, holding abacus and cradling cornucopia in left arm; star to left. RIC III 240; MIR 18, –; RSC 327; BMCRE p. 747, *. Good VF, toned. Nice metal. Very rare, only one in CoinArchives.
From the BRN Collection. Ex Classical Numismatic Review XL/1 (Spring 2015), no. 995800; Elwood Rafn Collection.

At the time that RIC volume III was written, the authors had no idea of the occasions for the two liberalities of AD 192, LIB AVG VIII and VIIII. Maria Kaiser-Raiß, in her study of the coinage of Commodus, argues that the Liberalitas VIII issue was given in the aftermath of the death of Julius Alexander of Emesa, who she contends was fomenting a serious revolt, while the Liberalitas VIIII issue was struck in reaction to the great fire that occurred in Rome in 192 (Die stadtrömische Münzprägung während der Alleinherrschaft des Commodus [Franfurt am Main: Schulten, 1980], pp. 51-2 and 54). However, there are two problems with her assignments. First, regarding the "revolt" of Alexander, none of the primary sources give it much emphasis whatsoever, particularly in Rome. Second, the dating of this event is not firm, with most authors noting it happening in AD 190 or 191. As such, it is unlikely that the eighth liberalitas was not struck in relation to the "revolt" of Alexander of Emesa.

In this light, it may be that LIB AVG VIII actually commemorates the great fire in AD 192, while LIB AVG VIIII commemorates a different event. The rarity of the LIB AVG VIIII issue may offer a clue (the rarity is emphasized by the fact that MIR states that RIC III 240 is “Typ unbelegt”; an example apparently could not be confirmed by the author). The last issue of Commodus, the TR P XVIII issues, are extremely rare, and most scholars attribute this rarity to the ability of the government to confiscate and melt down these issues that only recently entered circulation before the emperor's death. As the LIB AVG VIIII issue is nearly as rare as the TR P XVIII coins, it is reasonable to conclude that they were struck nearer to the end of 192 than the beginning. We know that the fire likely happened in the Spring of 192, which would seem to be too early for the issue to be so effectively removed from circulation. The regular TR P XVII issues struck not long before are quite plentiful today, so an issue in the Spring should also be quite plentiful. A possible solution is that the LIB AVG VIII issue was struck in the immediate aftermath of the fire, perhaps to help those dispossessed, while the LIB AVG VIIII issue was struck later in the year, during a celebratory event following the rebuilding of the city.
https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=340510

 

Good one, Mike. Rare coin, decent condition and got it for free basically.
Probably it's my imagination, but the portraits until Septimius Severus or Caracalla are pretty expressive. After Caracalla they have started to look more and more generic. Probably just my imagination or tastes, but this is why I prefer those, before Caracalla.
Even if today I bought 8 coins starting with Herennia Etruscilla and ending with a Constantine I. And I am happy with them.

 

Glad to hear that your health has turned for the better. I know many folks who are ill right now either with Covid or other maladies, so it's nice to hear about a recovery. I will share this Commodus tetradrachm from Alexandria.

Commodus:

Zeus

Mint of Alexandria, Egypt.

Commodus (180-192. A.D.)

Type: Billon Tetradrachm, 25mm, 11.06 grams

Obverse: M AVΡ KOMMO ANTΩNINOC CE, Laureate bust of Commodus right

Reverse: VΠAT OCTOΔ, Zeus seated left, holding scepter and thunderbolt, K theta in field

Reference: Emmett 2567

 

So happy that you have recovered, @ambr0zie! That must have been some illness!

I really like your new denarius; that portrait is AMAZING for so late in the reign.

Here's my favorite Commodus portrait. He's wearing a cuirass, which is uncharacteristic for the issue.



Commodus, AD 177-192.
Roman AR denarius, 3.42 g, 18 mm, 12 h.
Rome, AD 180.
Obv: M COMMODVS ANTONINVS AVG, laureate and cuirassed bust right.
Rev: LIB AVG TR P V IMP IIII COS II P P, Liberalitas standing left, holding tessera and cornucopiae.
Refs: RIC 10a; Cohen 301; BMC 4.

And, since you asked for crossed cornuacopiae, here's Commodus's grandpa on the obverse, and his older sisters, Domitia Faustina and Lucilla, inside the cornuacopiae!


Antoninus Pius, AD 138-161.
Roman orichalcum sestertius; 22.64 gm, 31.5 mm, 12 h
Rome, AD 149.
Obv: ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P XII, laureate bust right, slight drapery on left shoulder
Rev: TEMPORVM FELICITAS, COS IIII in exergue, S C across field, crossed cornuacopiae from which a grape bunch flanked by two grain ears hang, surmounted by confronted busts of two children.
Refs: RIC 857; BMCRE 1827-29; Cohen 813; RCV 4236; Strack 1026; Banti 411.