Very Rare and of Great Historical Interest

271, Lot: 84. Estimate $5000. Sold for $16000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Commodus. AD 177-192. Bimetallic Medallion (44mm, 71.70 g, 12h). Rome mint. Struck November-December AD 192. L · AELIVS · AVRELIVS · COMMODVS AVG PIVS FELIX, head of Commodus as Hercules, wearing lion skin headdress / HERCVLI ROMANO AVG P M TR P XVIII COS VII P P, Commodus as Hercules, standing slightly left, seen from behind, before wall of stones covered with both a boar’s and lion’s skin; bow and quiver leaning against wall to left of Commodus, club leaning to right. Gnecchi II, p. 55, 33 and pl. 80, 5; Toynbee pl XLIII, 3 var. (obv. to right); MIR 18, 1165-1/73; Cohen 209; Banti 112 (this medallion). VF, dark brown patina, scratches before portrait on obverse, rough patch in upper right field of reverse. Very rare and impressive. Of great historical interest.

Property of Princeton Economics acquired by Martin Armstrong. Ex Classical Numismatic Group 50 (23 June 1999), lot 346; V.J.E. Ryan Collection (Glendining’s, 2 April 1952), lot 2647.

On the 10th of December AD 192, Commodus entered his 18th Tribunician year. Coins carrying this tribunician date are excessively rare. Medallions bearing this date are known with this or one of five other reverse types, all of which show Commodus as Hercules. All of the medallions are very rare; Toynbee recorded only thirty-nine total specimens of the six types. These medallions were evidently prepared ahead of time to be given out as gifts, either on the 10th of December or the 1st of January. Commodus, however, would not see the new year, as he was murdered on the evening of December 31st. As Toynebee notes (p.74-5) , if the latter date is favored, it is quite possible that some of the recipients of these medallions received them along with the news that Commodus had been murdered!