Lot 1951

Description

Antoninus Pius, (A.D. 138-161), gold aureus, Rome mint, (7.29 grams), issued A.D. 148-9, obv. bare headed bust draped and cuirassed of Antoninus Pius to right, around ANTONINVS AVG PIVS PP TR P XII, rev. Roma seated to left holding Victory and spear, with shield at side, around TR POT COS IIII, (cf.S.1221, RIC -, BMC -). A superb specimen, good extremely fine and apparently unpublished combination of legends.

A curious hybrid piece with incompatable obverse and reverse since both sides refer to different years of his tribunician power. It is more probable that the die engraver selected a stock reverse (RIC 147) that normally used an obverse die without a tribunician power (TR P) year as part of the obverse legend.