This bronze struck in Lydia caught my eye because of the portraits----they are artistically rendered in 'fine style' and also display a bust of Agrippina Minor missing from my collection. I was undecided whether to go after it because of the wear and rough surfaces but the portraits eventually won me over. I'm not sure if this type is considered scarce but it seems to be rarely offered for sale. Fortunately, I was able to negotiate a substantially lower price than initially listed and I'm more than content with the purchase. For those unfamiliar with Agrippina Minor....She was a Roman Empress and one of the more prominent women in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. She was a great-granddaughter of the Emperor Augustus, great-niece and adoptive granddaughter of the Emperor Tiberius, sister of the Emperor Caligula, niece and fourth wife of the Emperor Claudius, and mother of the Emperor Nero. Agrippina the Younger has been described by both ancient and modern sources as ‘ruthless, ambitious, violent and domineering’. Many ancient historians accuse Agrippina of poisoning Emperor Claudius with mushrooms, though accounts vary. Suetonius mentions Nero glibly joking that "Mushrooms are the food of the Gods"--- an apparent reference to how 'poor old Claudius' was sped to his apotheosis as a deity by poisoned mushrooms. Please feel free to pile on. CLAUDIUS, 41-54 A.D. CLAUDIUS and AGRIPPINA Bronze (16mm, 5.18gm.) Lydia: Thyateira, 50 A.D. TI KLAUDIOS KAISAR SEBASTOS, bare head of Claudius right. AGRIPPINAN SEBASTHN QUATIRHN[OI], draped bust of Agrippina right. Reference: RPC 2380. SNG Munich 611
Very nice. Here's one of mine: Claudius and Agrippina II AE 12 Nummia Bosporos, under King Kotys I, AD 50-54 9.30 gm; 25.0 mm Obv: ΤΙ ΚΛΑΥΔΙΟΥ ΚΑΙCΑΡΟC, laureate head of Claudius, right. Rev: ΙΟΥΛΙΑΝ ΑΓΡΙΠΠΙΝΑΝ CΕΒΑCΤΗΝ, head of Agrippina II, left, in loop ponytail; BAK before. Refs: SGI 5438; RPC 1925; BMC 13.52,7; Anokhin Bosporus 348; SNG Copenhagen 31.
Well done @Mikey Zee ! The portraits have great detail... looks like you really captured a great coin! She is on my target list too! I have an example of Claudius' THIRD Wife before he submitted to the Monster Agrippina! LOL, Messalina was a sleaze, and she, too, tried to kill him! She lost her life over that plot... I believe these two monsters were related... maybe too much in-breeding among these Patrician Families... RProv Valeria Messalina m-Claudius 41-54 CE Alexandria BI Tet yr 42-4313-1g 25mm RPC I 5131
LOL, I think we seem to cost each other a butt-load of money! I still need to get Agrippina! Oh well, it is all FUN!!!
Nice coin @Mikey Zee ! I can only vicariously enjoy such coins since at the moment I have nothing to share that would be relevant. I did though enjoy this presentation by Professor Kevin Butcher which I found only after being provoked to search "Claudius and Agrippina"
