I'm not normally the kind of guy to dabble with fourrée's, I've never really found them interesting or appealing. This coin intrigued me however because of how bizarre and unique it looks. Roman Empire. Antoninus Pius, as Caesar, 138. Fourrée Denarius. Rome, 25 February-1 July 138. IMP T AEL CAES ANTONINVS. Bare head of Antoninus Pius to right / TRIB POT COS. Pietas standing front, head to left, raising her right hand over altar. 20 mm, 2.6 g. For prototype: cf. RIC 452a. Hadrian found himself in a bit of a conundrum after the untimely death of his presumptive heir Aelius in 138. Suffering immensely from sickness, the line of succession was more important now than ever. In Aelius' stead, Hadrian chose Titus Aurelius Fulvus Antoninus to be his successor. As the now elderly Augustus' health was deteriorating at an increasing rate, all measures had to be taken in order to prepare Antoninus for the purple. In this regard the imperial propaganda machine began working on how to best introduce the young caesar to the people and also project the idea of continuity after Hadrian's passing. This can often be seen on the caesarian coinage of Antoninus. On this fourrée, the engraver chose to go all the way, making a coin that almost looks like one issued for Hadrian himself.
