Featured My sub-collection of Julio-Claudian Sestertii

Mostly Julio-Claudian Sestertii. I believe this is going to be my final sub-collection of these coins. I have always favored this denomination from this time period - their large size and heft is impressive and their generous flans, that are almost always perfectly round, permit very detailed depictions and elegant inscriptional lettering. I also greatly admire the coloration and appearance of patinated orichalcum (the alloyed bronze used to cast the planchets). I say “mostly Julio-Claudian Sestertii” because I couldn’t resist including one Dupondius.

The condition of the coins is what I describe as “exhibiting typical wear and blemishes due to long time circulation and use”. - that is the way I like them.

Photo examples are in rough order of coin acquisition.

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RIC Vol. I, CAIUS (CALIGULA), SESTERTIUS, Rome, No. 51, 40-41AD,
(35mm, 26.2gm)

Obverse depiction: Personification of Pietas, seated left.
Obverse Inscription: C CAESAR DIVI AVG PRON AVG PM TRP IIII PP In exergue: PIETAS

Reverse depiction: Caligula standing left holding patera over altar - attendants (victimarius) on either side holding bull for sacrifice - hexastyle temple of Divus Augustus festooned with garlands in background.
Reverse Horizontal Inscription: {small lettering} DIVO AVG and below: S C (left and right)

Added via edit: This coin was minted in commemoration/celebration of the dedication of the temple of Divvs Augustus.



RIC Vol. I, NERO, SESTERTIUS, Rome, No. 356, 66-67AD, (36mm, 24.8gm)
BMCRE Vol. I, NERO, SESTERTIUS, Rome, No. 114, 66-67AD

Obverse depiction: Nero, laureate head facing right
Inscription: IMP NERO CLAVD CAESAR AVG GERM PM TRP XIII PP
Reverse depiction: Personification of Roma seated left on cuirass
resting elbow on shield and holding spear, helmet behind.
Inscription: ROMA in exergue S C left and right.p



Sestertius, RIC, Vol. I, Tiberius, No. 68, AD 36-37 (35mm, 22.6gm)
Cataloged in Wildwinds under Augustus - Sear 1784

Coin obverse depiction: Augustus, radiate, togate, holding laurel branch in r. hand and long sceptre in l., seated on throne, placed on a car, drawn l. by four elephants, each bearing a mahout on its neck. The side of the car is ornamented with shields.

Inscription across top in three lines DIVO AVGVSTO SPQR

Coin reverse depiction: Large, centered S C
Inscription clockwise from top: TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVST PM TR POT XXXIIX

Added via edit: Funeral procession of Divvs Augustus commemorative struck by Tiberius - note the manner in which the 38th Tribunician year on the reverse is depicted as a subtractive instead of the normal XXXVIII (to conserve space?).



RIC Vol. I, CLAUDIUS, SESTERTIUS, Rome, No. 112, 50-54AD (36mm, 28.2gm)

Obverse depiction: Claudius, laureate head facing right
Inscription: TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG PM TRP IMP PP
Reverse depiction: Civic Oak Wreath/crown.

Inscription in four lines:

EX SC
P P
OB CIVES
SERVATOS
(within wreath)

Added via edit: On the reverse: The most exalted honor that a citizen of Rome could be awarded by the Senate (EX SC: by order of the Senate), PP (Claudius as PATER PATRIAE : father of the Country), OB CIVES SERVATOS: Exemplary service to the Roman World. The award of the Civic wreath.




BMCRE, Vol. I, CLAUDIUS, SESTERTIUS, Rome, No. 157, Plate 35-7 42-43AD (38mm, 28.9gm)

Same as No. 157 except reverse legend ends in IMP. Minted by Claudius to honor his father as a great warrior on the northern frontier.



RIC Vol. I, CLAUDIUS, SESTERTIUS, Rome, No. 109, AD 42-43 (38mm, 28.0gm)

Obverse depiction: Nero Claudius Drusus (father of Claudius), bare head facing left.
Inscription: NERO CLAVDIVS DRVSVS GERMANICVS IMP

Reverse depiction: Claudius seated left on curule chair holding olive branch, panoply of weapons and armor beneath.
Inscription: TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG PM TRP IMP PP - S C in exergue

I lightened up the above pic of the Claudius RIC No 109 sestertius to show the details better. Here is a more natural photo of that coin:




BMCRE, Vol. I, CLAUDIUS, SESTERTIUS, Rome, No. 157, Plate 35-7 42-43AD (38mm, 28.9gm)

It was a real coincidence that I found both of the above coins- one of the joys of collecting Ancient coins.




RIC Vol. I, CLAUDIUS, SESTERTIUS, Rome, No. 99 41-50 AD, (36mm, 25.3gm)

Obverse depiction: Claudius, bare neck laureate bust, facing right.

Inscription clockwise from bottom: TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG PM TRP IMP

Reverse depiction: Personification of Spes holding flower in right hand and demurely raising skirt with left hand.
Inscription clockwise from bottom: SPES AVGVSTA - S C (exergue)




RIC 1, (second edition) Gaius/Caligula, Dupondius, No. 56

Obverse depiction: Radiate bust of Augustus.
Obverse Inscription: DIVVS AVGVSTVS, S. C (left and right)

Reverse depiction: monument of Caligula seated on a curule chair holding an olive branch in right hand.
Inscription: CONSENSV SENAT ET EQ ORDIN P Q R
Note: This legend is unique.

The translation is:
“By consensus of the senate, the equestrian order, and the Roman people”




CLAUDIUS SESTERTIUS, TITUS RESTORATION ISSUE, 80-81 AD

1. (34.5mm, 23.12 gm)
   BMCRE Volume II, Rome, Titus No. 297 (pl. 56.1)
   RIC Volume II (1962 Edition), Rome, Titus, No. 234
   RIC Volume II, Part 1 (second edition), Titus, No. 472 (Sear No. 2601)
   
   Obverse depiction: Claudius, laureate head facing right
   Inscription: TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG PM TRP IMP PP
   Reverse depiction: Personification of Spes holding flower
   in right hand and demurely raising skirt with left hand
   Inscription: IMP T VESP AVG REST - S C (left and right)
   
   Clickable links:
   
   Sear Roman Coins and their Values (RCV 2000 Edition) Number 2601 (via Wildwinds Claudius)
   
   Sale: CNG, Triton XII, Lot: 555 (5 January 2009) - this coin is depicted.

 

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Those are very nice sestertii.

I really like the reverse of the sestertius with TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG PM TRP IMP PP. Wonderful detail.

Is this reverse a reference to Claudius's Britain campaign?

 

Be still my beating heart.

 

great coins!

 

Thank you @robinjojo. In answer to your question, I am not sure of any direct relationship - I have read, and researched, so much about Claudius (my “favorite” Emperor) over the years and I seem to remember an occasional reference to his admiration for Spes as the goddess of hope? (maybe peace following battle), but my memory is not too good these days. Maybe another CT member can contribute something on this subject?

James

 

…………… but hopefully not for a long time! Thank you @Herodotus.

 

Thank you @ominus1.

 

I will add (via edit) information prompted by member questions, and by plumbing my fragile memory on occasion, so please scan previous posts from time to time.

James

 

What a wonderful collection of sestertii! Thanks for posting it.

 

Thank you Donna. I have been following your recent posts with great interest - and learning a lot from them. Your recent acquisitions - coins and artifacts - are wonderful. Thanks for posting pics of them.

James

 

You're very welcome!

 

Just a brief note (by Harold Mattingly, author of BMCRE vol. II) relating to PP (PATER PATRIAE) and OB CIVES SERVATOS on Claudian coins.

 

I have always admired the letterforms employed by the artisan engravers of Imperial Rome on monuments, tombstones, edifices - and coins:



I particularly admire the Inscriptional lettering on the sestertii of the Julio-Claudian Emperors - especially those of Caius (Caligula), Claudius and Nero. The large flans permit elegant letter formation and, in my opinion, the die engravers of that period were especially skilled in rendering very elegant lettering. I eagerly seek out sestertii that have clear and complete inscriptions.




Roman Imperial coin inscriptional letterforms are based on those of CAPITALIS MONUMENTALIS employed by stone cutters for edifices, monuments, tombstones, etc. A fine extant example is found on Trajan's column in Rome and the essential constructs of these letterforms are the models for all Majuscule (Capital) alphabets used in the western world. Stone cutters in particular still employ their distinctive proportions and terminating serifs.

It should be noted that only twenty letters were normally used in the ancient Roman alphabet: A B C D E F G H I L M N O P Q R S T V X. Our modern J and U were not used, their equivalents being I and V respectively. Thus, our modern JULIUS was written IVLIVS. The letter K was seldom used and then only before A. The letters Y and Z were only used when reproducing Greek words. W was not part of the ancient Roman alphabet at all. It was Medieval scribes who formalized the construction models for the letters J K U W Y Z.There are numerous photographs of actual CAPITALIS MONUMENTALIS lettering (including that on Trajan's column) at:

Bill Thayer's Latin Inscriptions section of his LacusCurtius web site

 

WOW! James!

 

I agree very easy to like these pieces.

This coin celebrates the relief efforts provided by Tiberius to the citizens of Asia, which was hit with an earthquake in 17 AD, maybe he wasn't such a bad guy:

Tiberius 14–37 A.D. sestertius RIC I 48 Asiae Restitvtis
Struck 22-23 in Roma
CIVITATIBVS ASIAE RESTITVTIS
TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVST PM TR POT XXIIII ​

 

Very nice Sestertius @IMP Shogun - thank you for posting it. Despite the criticisms of some ancient historical writers, I thnk that he was a “good guy”.

James

 

This is how I like my Sestertii . Thank you very much for sharing, James!

 

Thanks for showing your lovely coins, I really enjoy seeing these. I truly hope that if I'm allowed to reach your respectable age, I will still enjoy ancient coins as much as you do.

Interesting James, thank you for sharing it. The extract begins with a reference to coins of Nero Drusus and Antonia. But does it also apply to coins of Claudius himself?

Here's my AES coin (sestertius), my most recent coin of Claudius, and with P P in the title.

Sear dates this coin AD 42. The type without P P is also mentioned in his book (no. 1849). He dates that to 41-42 AD. He notes: "Claudius received the title of Pater Patriae (P P) in the first half of January, AD 42, and the production of aes coinage appears to have ceased before the end of the year."

 

And thank you @Julius Germanicus - for your shared enthusiasm!

 

Thank you for that excellent post @Limes and your much appreciated observations and comments. I do hope you attain enough longevity, as I have, so you can enjoy your coins in your “Sunset years” also.

With regard to this:



I included it here in this post to provide clarity to your comments, @Limes:

I am sorry, but I cannot provide a good answer to your question right now @Limes. This question came up in an earler thread followed by an enlightening discussion, but I cannot remember the resolution. I will research that and add the information here.

And that is a superb coin!

Again, @Limes, thank you for posting this very valuable information!

James