153, Lot: 122. Estimate $200. Sold for $337. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

THRACE, Serdica. Caracalla. AD 198-217. Æ 30mm (21.17 g). Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / Apollo Iatrus standing facing left, leaning on serpent-staff; below, infant Aesclepius handing object to Apollo. Ruzicka, Serdica 169. VF, dark brown surfaces.

Apollo Iatrus, “Healer” was the father of Aesclepius by Coronis. The father passed on to his son the symbol of his healing powers, a rod of authority wrapped with a serpent, whose ability to shed its skin held the promise of renewal and restoration. The Rod of Aesclepius is not the same as the caduceus carried by Hermes, although the two are similar and often confused.