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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;IdesOfMarch01, post: 2211654, member: 39084&quot;]Although my Claudius coins have been posted on this site so frequently that the regulars here will roll their eyes and yawn, I noticed that you&#039;re fairly new to this site so I&#039;ll show my favorite Claudius:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]432160[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><font face="Verdana">CLAUDIUS&nbsp; 41 - 54 A.D.</font></p><p><font face="Verdana">AV Aureus (7.79 g.)&nbsp; Rome 44 - 45 A.D.&nbsp; RIC 25</font></p><p><font face="Verdana">Obv. TI CLAVD CAESAR AVG P M TR P IIII laureate head r.&nbsp; Rev. Battlemented wall IMPER RECEPT enclosing praetorian camp, Fides Praetorianorum left.&nbsp; </font></p><p><font face="Verdana">Ex. Metropolitan Museum of Art</font></p><p><br /></p><p>The history memorialized in this coin is impressive; I quote from Heritage&#039;s description:</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;<i>Claudius owed his elevation to the Praetorian Guard and was not ashamed to promote this fact on his coinage. The reverse of this interesting aureus type depicts the Praetorian camp and the legend &quot;IMPER RECEPT&quot; -- &quot;The Emperor Received,&quot; a direct reference to the chaotic aftermath of Caligula&#039;s assassination in January of AD 41, when a platoon of Praetorians found Claudius hiding in the imperial palace and quickly hustled him behind the walls of the fortress. He obliged them with a donative of 3,750 silver denarii per head, nearly quadruple the previous highest amount (1,000, by Tiberius). The Praetorians remained fiercely loyal throughout his reign and, faced with this reality, the Senate was loath to challenge him.</i>&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p>It is simply staggering to imagine a Roman Emperor being appointed by a small group of Praetorian Guards.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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