Sestertius Sunday…..

Shhhhhh. Don't give away my secret!

 

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Love that Titus!

 

Currently I have just one sestertius, a Trajan:


I do have another one coming in the mail, in a group lot. It's also a Trajan, but even more worn than this one.

 

Great coins

 

Here's a coin that I have owned for a while, and photographed today.

This is a sestertius of Commodus, and a somewhat unusual one at that.

Here are the dealer's notes, from the coin's label:

COMMODUS, 177-192 AD
Rome, 181 AD
Sestertius, 25.08g
BM 442 note, citing Naville II, 1922, 1027 (same dies as ours);
bust var. of C 4-5 and BM 442-445.
Rx-ANN AVG TRP VI IMP III COS III PP SC, Annona standing l. holding wheat ears over modius and cornucopia.
Rare with this bust type.

 

Many of my coins are unphotographed, so I have to recycle some previously posted ones, with recycled dealer descriptions and pics.



NERO AE orichalcum sestertius. Struck at Lugdunum, 65 AD. NERO CLAVD CAESAR AVG GER P M TR IMP P P, laureate head right, globe at point of bust. Reverse - Roma seated left on cuirass & shields, S C at sides, ROMA in exergue. 36mm, 24.4g. Very Fine
(it looks better in person than in the picture) The hole is hardly noticeable in person).

The second's one I picked up as an impulse add-on when I finally picked up a Seleucia mint of Heraclius. I ended up liking this better. I have one or two Treb's in nicer grade than this, but it looks nice in person.


Title: Trebonianus Gallus (AD 251-253) Æ Sestertius / Votive
Attribution: RIC IV 127a Rome
Date: AD 251
Obverse: [IMP CAES C VIBIVS] TREBONIANVS GAL[LVS AVG], laureate draped cuirassed bust of Trebonianus Gallus right
Reverse: VOTIS / DECENNA / LIBVS / S C in laurel wreath
Size: 27.24 mm
Weight: 14.9 grams
Description: VF with pleasing jade green patina. Ex Pegasi Coins (old blue tag). Ex Jeff Clark VOTA collection.

The third is one of my all-time favorite (affordable) Sestertii of the whole Roman series. Augustus from Cyprus/Asia Minor.



aVF/aVF Augustus AE Sestertius / Wreath

Attribution: RPC 2233
Date: 25 BC
Obverse: AVGVSTVS, Bust right within border of dots
Reverse: CA within circle in wreath, all within border of dots
Size: 34.58 mm
Weight: 18.6 grams

Okay, so this one's decrepit, but it's another one of my all-time favorites of the Roman series, the RECTOR ORBIS of Didius Julianus.

DIDIUS JULIANUS AE sestertius. IMP CAES M DID SEVER IVLIAN AVG, laureate head right. Reverse - RECTOR ORBIS, Julian standing left holding globe and roll, S C in fields (C double struck). RCV 6077. 29mm, 18.1g. Rare



I'm just a regular guy whose top price is generally around $500, so I can't hang with the big boys. But the Didius is a placeholder until I can get a better one.

 

I like my sestertii like I like my salsa ...



... hot, thick and chunky!

 

Here are a couple of mine.

 

The thread reminded me of an interesting small Setertius I have; a reduced Sestertius of Gallienus.




81642. Orichalcum sestertius, RIC V 216, C -, aVF/F, 12.464g, 25.2mm, 180o, Rome mint, [IMP C P LIC GALLI]ENVS AVG, laureate and draped bust right; reverse [IOV]I CONSERVATORI S C, Jupiter standing left, thunderbolt in right, scepter in left; exceptional portrait, typical tight chunky flan;

ex; Forum, with recycled pic and decription.

 

Love these big bronzes ..

 

Lots of very beautiful coins in this thread. I also have a preference for sestertii , likely because I can appreciate them without having to resort to a magnifying glass. I guess the same applies to Aes Grave.
here are a few from my collection...


Caligula with three sisters reverse.




Caligula with OB CIVES SERVATOS reverse.




Caligula addressing praetorians




Claudius with Spes reverse.



Nero with Annona / Ceres



Nero / decursio reverse.



Galba / Libertas



Vespasian / Judea Capta.

 

...of course i need to show my latest and greatess who bought the purple.. Sestertius Didius Julianus 93 AD, 27mm 18.24gms

 

Q, That's a fantastic group of coins !

 

octavius, That's a Jaw-dropping group of sestertii ! It's not easy picking out a favorite . Three sestertii of Caligula is overwhelming, most collectors would be happy with one . Most of the sestertii of Vespasian/Judaea Capta I've seen look "doctored", your coin looks original .

 

Sestertii definitely did much of the heavy lifting of Roman commerce, sometimes for many decades. Of course, I love, sharp, VF+ coins as much as anyone, but coins that grade Good or Fine, undamaged, with attractive patinas are also beautiful - like well-aged wines. Here are Lucilla and Philip I...

 

No Sestertius of Nerva shown yet, so here is mine:


IMP NERVA CAES AVG P M TR P COS III P P - laureate head of Nerva right
FORTVNA AVGVST S C - Fortuna standing left, holding rudder resting on ground in right hand and cornucopiae at her side in left.
Sestertius, Rome 01 January – 18 September 97 aD (3rd emission of Nerva)
35,12 mm / 31,20 gr
RIC 83; BMCRE 107-9 and pl. 5, 6; Cohen 67; Sear -, Banti 21 (18 specimens)
From the collections of Arthur Löbbecke (1850-1932), Fritz Reusing (1874-1956), and Paul Schürer (1890-1976); Auction Hess Nr. 182 (06.01.1926), lot 1115 a, and
Manfred Olding fixed price list 96 (March 2019), Nr.200

 

Here are a couple of silver sestertii - Cr. 44/7 issued with the first denarii and quinarii:


The silver sestertius didn't really catch on and later ones are scarce or rare I only have this - Cr. 464/8a of 46 BC:



ATB,
Aidan.

 

I don't recall ever seeing so many Sestertii posted together in one thread as in this one, and I have been here on C.T since 2007.

So many beautiful sestertii, they were my first and primary love when I was more actively collecting ancients.

I still have all of them. Here are some go them.

Tiberius to Vespasian:

 

Nerva, Domitian and Trajan:

 

Vitellius: