Crispina. Augusta, AD 178-182. AR Denarius (18mm, 2.89 g, 12h). Rome mint. Struck under Commodus, AD 178-182.

CNG Feature Auction 118
Lot: 1091. Estimated: $ 300

Roman Imperial, Coin-in-Hand Video, Silver

Sold For $ 800. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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Crispina. Augusta, AD 178-182. AR Denarius (18mm, 2.89 g, 12h). Rome mint. Struck under Commodus, AD 178-182. Draped bust right / Venus standing left, holding apple and drawing up fold of drapery. RIC III 286a (Commodus); MIR 18, 19-4a; RSC 35. Lightly toned, underlying luster. EF.

From the Thomas A. Palmer Collection. Ex Berk BBS 98 (7 October 1997), lot 241.

Bruttia Crispina was the daughter of Gaius Bruttius Praesens, an influential Roman nobleman from Lucania. Crispina was a legendary beauty but this probably had little effect on the egocentric Commodus, who took a succession of lovers of both sexes. Her incorruptibility and her inability to produce an heir apparently led Commodus to tire of her; accordingly, she was charged with adultery and banished to the island of Capri, probably in AD 188, where she was later executed. It is sometimes asserted she died much earlier in the reign, after the conspiracy of Lucilla in AD 182, but this is due to a faulty reading of the main sources for the era; indeed inscriptions record her as still being empress in the late AD 180s. Her coinage is not nearly as extensive as that of previous empresses, probably due to her husband's indifference. The portraiture depicts a graceful young lady with a long, swan-like neck, as seen here.

The final winners of all CNG Feature Auction 118 lots will be determined at the live public sale that will be held on 13-14 September 2021. CNG Feature Auction 118 – Session Three – Roman Provincial Coinage Part 2 through Roman Imperial Coinage Part 1 will be held Tuesday morning, 14 September 2021 beginning at 9:00 AM ET.

Winning bids are subject to a 20% buyer's fee for bids placed on this website and 22.50% for all others.

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