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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;robinjojo, post: 4292298, member: 110226&quot;]<i>&quot;But the Alexandrians, without asking my permission - and once the thing was done I could not undo it - struck a coin with my head on the obverse and on the reverse a full-length portrait of Messalina in the dress of the Goddess Demeter, holding in the palm of one hand two figurines representing her little boy and girl, and in the other a sheaf of corn representing fertility. This was a flattering play on the name Messalina - the Latin word messis meaning the corn-harvest.&nbsp; She was delighted.&quot;</i></p><p><br /></p><p>Those were the words of Claudius in Robert Graves&#039; classic historical novel, <i>Claudius the God</i>, the second book on the life and times of Claudius, the first being <i>I Claudius.</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p>Having read that passage, I decided to add an example of this coin, a billon tetradrachm to the collection.&nbsp; It is a bit of deviation from what I normally concentrate on, primarily Greek coinage, but what better reason to stray from the path than this intriguing information.</p><p><br /></p><p>This coin, dates from 43-44 CE (4th year of reign).&nbsp; It shows typical crudeness (especially with the flan), but it is above average in overall condition and the centering is decent.</p><p><br /></p><p>It was purchased just a few days ago, from a firm in France, so its arrival will undoubtedly be delayed by the novel coronavirus pandemic emergency that is engulfing the world.&nbsp;&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Weight:&nbsp; 14.13 grams</p><p>Grade:&nbsp; &nbsp; EF</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1092559[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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