The Column of Antoninus Pius

279, Lot: 508. Estimate $100. Sold for $80. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Divus Antoninus Pius. Died AD 161. Æ Sestertius (32mm, 25.07 g, 12h). Rome mint. Struck under Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, circa AD 161. Bare head right / Column surmounted by statue of Pius holding eagle and scepter. RIC III 1269 (Aurelius); Banti 144. Near VF, rough brown patina.

From the Bruce R. Brace Collection.

The reverse depicts the column of the divine Antoninus Pius, the shaft and base of which survive. The latter, now in the Vatican, employs both Classical and traditionally plebeian styles and marks an artistic transition in imperially sponsored monuments.