Antoninus Pius. AD 138-161. Æ Sestertius (33.5mm, 26.62 g, 11h). Rome mint. Struck AD 160-161.

Electronic Auction 465
Lot: 407. Estimated: $ 200

Roman Imperial, Bronze

Sold For $ 140. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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Antoninus Pius. AD 138-161. Æ Sestertius (33.5mm, 26.62 g, 11h). Rome mint. Struck AD 160-161. Laureate bust right, slight drapery / Pietas standing left, holding child in each arm; two more children standing left and right, extending arm upward. RIC III 1045 var. (bust type); Banti 290. Hard green patina, earthen deposits, minor scratches, some roughness. VF.

From the Colin E. Pitchfork Collection.

This reverse type, employed in the last year of the emperor's long and prosperous reign, concentrates attention on the promising youth of the imperial family. Ironically, it was this family of Marcus Aurelius that heralded the end of the era of the 'good emperors'. The marriage of Marcus Aurelius and Faustina Jr. was an extremely fertile union, producing thirteen children, three of whom survived into adulthood. An earlier pair of twins, T. Aelius Aurelius and T. Aurelius Antioninus, born in AD 149, died shortly thereafter. In AD 161 she dutifully produced a second pair of twins, commemorated by the two infants Pietas cradles; one of these twins was the future emperor Commodus.

Closing Date and Time: 8 April 2020 at 12:15:20 ET.

All winning bids are subject to an 18% buyer’s fee.