The coin commemorates the sixth time Hadrian had a public donative. I don't believe there is any emperor that has a complete series of numbered coins but there is a VII. There are others that issued some. Septimius Severus 4,5,6:
Roman rulers frequently gave gifts of money to the people of Rome. This is a donative event. Donative is another term for largesse. Sometimes we even get a coin with a scene showing the emperor on a platform with recipients climbing the stairs to get their coins. The one below shows the donative in honor of Commodus being made Caesar. The citizen (left) holds a fold of his toga to catch coins thrown into it. Liberalitas stands second from the left. The emperor is seated and there is an officer of the guard at the right. The legend is LIBERALITAS AVG with no number.
Sorry, but I couldn't resist tossin' in my example of => "Scramble, it's free-money day!!" Commodus. Æ Sestertius 177-192 AD Rome mint. Struck AD 181 Diameter: 31 mm Weight: 25.21 grams Obverse: Laureate head right Reverse: Commodus seated left on curule chair set on daïs; attendant standing behind him; before him, Liberalitas stands to left, holding tessera and cornucopia; citizen on left mounting steps toward platform
a Friend found also some information. the connection with LIBERALITAS. http://books.google.nl/books?id=ifA...enta#v=onepage&q=Liberalitas Alimenta&f=false (Elizabeth Forbis - Municipal Virtues in the Roman Empire)
