For the most part, I don't actively collect Roman coins. I have roughly fifty of them, mostly denarii, from that naïve time when I thought a "reasonable" goal was to have one coin from each Roman emperor and spouse and one from each Greek city. I quickly abandoned that plan and with it any Roman expansion. However, I was jealous of seeing those huge hunking sestertii, so I made it a goal to pick up one. My criteria was as follows: Needs to be decent enough to read Should be one of the early and heavier ones Must reference an event or show some building (until I looked at the prices of those). I didn't want one of the generic ones. I would up picking this one up from Marc Breitsprecher. Attribution: RIC III 1029 Rome Date: AD 172 Obverse: M ANTONINVS AVG TR P XXVI, laureate head right Reverse: IMP VI COS III, Victory standing right hanging shield inscribed VIC / GER on palm tree; S-C across fields Size: 31.20mm Weight: 27.18 grams Description: CNG Electronic Auction 299 (27 Mar 2013), Lot 561 (part, visible) The Germania Capta reference is to the defeat of the Marcomanni and their leader Ballomar in 172 CE. Prior to that, the Marcomanni had scared the daylights out of Rome with the first invasion of Italy in 270 years. This had followed several disastrous defeats. Technically the coin is mistitled, since in modern terms it should be "Slovenia Capta" but back then pretty much everything up north was called Germania. Besides being my only sestertius, it's also my only coin of Marcus Aurelius. From research, the type can't be considered rare, but nor is it very common. Overall, I'm very happy with the purchase and it's one of my favorite coins to show off. Feel free to show off your own sestertii!
Nice coin, lovely patina. It took me awhile to get my first sestertius. This is it & I still own it. Lucilla (164 - 182 A.D.) Æ Sestertius O: LVCILLA AVG ANTONINI AVG F, draped bust righ R: VENVS S-C, Venus standing left holding apple & scepte. Rome 22.8g 30mm RIC 1763, Cohen 72, BMC 1167
That's a very attractive sestertius, the perfect type coin! The patina and strike are very nice, and the reverse has an important historical theme, something you do not see on many. Here's my Marcus Aurelius sestertius, posthumous, where he has the "philosopher's beard". And another, when he was young, as Caesar:
Congrats... the Dark Side always... compels Here is one of my first Sestertius: AR Sestertius: RR AR Sestertius After 211 BCE 12mm 1.0g Rome mint Roma r IIS - Dioscuri riding stars in ex ROMA Sear 46 Craw 44-7 RSC 4 1/4th of a Denarius or 2-1/2 Asses - IIS on the obverse means 2 Asses plus a Semis... 10 Asses to a Denarius at this time. 16 Asses to a Denarius did not happen until approx 142 BCE or soon after the THIRD Punic War
Nice pickup, @kirispupis. I like the large size and chunky feeling of the sestertius coins. Here is my Antoninus Pius sestertius. Antoninus Pius AD 145-147. Æ Sestertius 30.5mm, 24.51 g., Rome mint. Obv: Laureate head right. Rev: Salus standing facing, head left, holding rudder and feeding serpent. RIC III 761
Nice start to a sestertius collection, @kirispupis - I find them very addictive. Here is mine, similar to yours, minted a year earlier: Marcus Aurelius Æ Sestertius (170-171 A.D.) Rome Mint M ANTONINVS AVG TR P XXV, laureate head right / IMP VI [COS III] S C, Victory, naked to waist, standing front, setting on palm-tree right, shield inscribed VIC GER RIC 1001; Cohen 269. (22.19 grams / 28 mm) eBay Nov. 2020 My most recent sestertius came in the mail today - I do NOT collect slabs, but sometimes they turn up so cheap I can't resist. This was was fifty bucks. I think the slabs cost $45.00 at ANACS these days? It seemed too good to pass up. Seller's photos: Antoninus Pius Æ Sestertius (147-148 A.D.) Rome Mint ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P COS IIII, laureate head right / [LIBERALITAS] AVG V, S C, Liberalitas standing left, holding cornucopia and coin-counter RIC 776; BMCRE 1696. (ANACS slab No. 7206945 F12) eBay April 2022 Notes: "The reverse legend, Consul quartum - Liberalitas quintum, explicitly refers to the emperor’s fifth donation in AD 148, which took place - along with varied festivities - when celebrating the 900th anniversary of Rome, at the time of his Vota Decennalia and celebratory games (Primi Decennales)." Note: gold aureus, with LIB - V across reverse fields. Maison Palombo Geneve, Auction 19, Lot 93, Dec. 11, 2020 (aureus)
Very nice, @kirispupis! Here's a Marcus Aurelius Victory sestertius from my numophylacium. Marcus Aurelius, AD 161-180. Roman orichalcum sestertius, 24.15 g, 31.0 mm, 11 h. Rome, AD 166-167. Obv: M ANTONINVS AVG ARM PARTH MAX, head of Marcus Aurelius, laureate, right. Rev: TR POT XXI IMP IIII COS III S C, Victory advancing left, holding wreath in right hand and palm in left hand over left shoulder. Refs: RIC 948; BMCRE 1318-20; Cohen 815; RCV 5011; MIR 151-6/30.
This was my second Roman coin. The second I received it, I was addicted to sestertii. Hadrian AD 119-120. Æ Sestertius. Rome. IMP CAESAR TRAIANVS HADRIANVS AVG, laureate head, slight drapery on far shoulder / PONT MAX TR POT COS III, Roma seated left on cuirass & round shield, right foot on helmet, holding Victory & spear; S-C in exergue. RIC II.3 253; Banti 603; BMCRE 1148. 28.16g, 33mm, 6h.
A good start. Here is my Verus, similar in design. Lucius Verus AD 161-169. Rome Sestertius Æ 32 mm, 20,98 g AD 163 - AD 164 RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1397, BMC 1116 Obv: L AVREL VERVS AVG ARMENIACVS, head of Lucius Verus, laureate, right / Rev: TR P IIII IMP II COS II S C, Victory, winged, half-draped, standing right, fixing to a palm-tree with left hand shield inscribed VIC AVG
Marcus Aurelius, sestertius Obv.: M ANTONINVS AVG GERM TR P XXI[X], laur. head right Rev.: LIBERALITAS AVG VI IMP VII COS III / S C, Liberalitas standing left holding cornucopia and counting board I like this one because of its patina.
This is one of my better buys, I liked the brown tone and put a tongue in cheek bid that worked and far less than you would pay for a denarius. Pupienus, 22nd April # 29th July 238. Sestertius April-June 238, Æ 29mm., 18.91g. Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust r. Rev. Victory standing facing, head l., holding wreath and palm branch. C 38. RIC 23a.
I bid on a Marcus Aurelius sestersius at NYICS 2 years ago but sadly it went for more than I planned on spending. He's an important emperor of Rome's Golden Age. Fortunately, I do have a GIMP {Greek Imperial} of him to show the kids when I give my presentation on Rome. I bought this the first year I had a job after finishing school in 1988. Marcus Aurelius r. 161 - 180 AD AE 36 of Amasya Pontes? struck 163/164 AD rev: M.Aurelius with Lucius Verus; his co-emperor 21.947 g; about the weight of an Imperial sesterius at this time but on a slightly broader flan.
My first two sestertii, one of Philip II (27x29 mm., only 16 g.) and the other of Marcus Aurelius (30mm, 25.8g.) -- shown on the reverse raising the personification of Italia from her knees.
Congratulations, and welcome to my favorite aspect of the Roman imperial series! To me, the sweet spot of coin size is 34-40mm. If these large coins had a soundtrack, I'd imagine it as Ride of the Valkyries . I'd guesstimate that 40% of my Roman imperials are Sestertii.
