Sale: Triton VI, Lot: 904. Estimate $20000.  Closing Date: Monday, 13 January 2003.  Sold For $16000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

DIDIUS JULIANUS. 193 AD. AV Aureus (6.72 gm). IMP CAES M DID IVLIAN AVG, laureate head right / P M TR P COS, Fortuna standing left, holding rudder on globe in right hand, cornucopiae in left. RIC IV 2; BMCRE 4; Cohen 8. Nice VF. Extremely rare. (See color enlargement on plate 13.) ($20,000)

From the William H. Williams Collection.

The mint of Rome could very quickly produce massive new issues, as was the case with Didius Julianus, who on the 28th March 193 outbid Flavius Sulpicianus, the father-in-law of Pertinax, for the empire at the praetorian camp auction, by promising to pay each man 25,000 sestertii. The cohors praetorium by this time was composed of sixteen cohorts of 1000 men, which meant that Didius had to come up with 40 million sestertii, 10 million denarii or 400,000 aurei, if he wanted to remain emperor.