The Column of Antoninus Pius

338, Lot: 248. Estimate $200. Sold for $475. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Divus Antoninus Pius. Died AD 161. Æ Sestertius (32mm, 30.33 g, 1h). 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. VF, dark brown to almost black patina with some light green and red deposits.

Ex Classical Numismatic Group Electronic Auction 220 (14 October 2009), lot 466.

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 sculptural styles and marks an artistic transition in imperially sponsored monuments.