355, Lot: 484. Estimate $300. Sold for $400. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Nero. AD 54-68. Gilt Æ Sestertius (36mm, 29.62 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck circa AD 64. Laureate bust right, wearing aegis / Nero on horseback prancing right, holding spear; behind him, soldier on horseback, holding vexillum over shoulder. RIC I 170; WCN 108. Near VF, significant gold gilt remains, brown patina where it is worn away. Very rare.

Purchased from Roma Numismatics, 2012.

This piece was coated in antiquity with a thin layer of gold, most probably for the purpose of being an imperial donative or other display of largess, appearing as an impressively large and heavy gold medallion. At several points in its life it was test-cut to check for gold content.