Lot 3445

Description

Marcus Aurelius as Caesar, (A.D. 138-161), AE as, Rome mint, issued A.D. 156-157, (11.02 grams), obv. AVRELIVS CAES[AR ANTON] AVG P II F, bare head to right of Marcus Aurelius, rev. AVRELIUS CAESAR ANTON AVG PII F, bare headed draped bust of Marcus Aurelius to right, (S.-, RIC -, C.13 [the Boyne Collection]). Dark patina, very fine and extremely rare.

An extraordinary issue of two obverses differing only in the bust of Marcus Aurelius on each side, one draped the other with head only. These double obverse types are rarely encountered, BMC note issues of double obverses on Antoninus Pius and Commodus, but not in the BMC Collection. Cohen notes that the same example of this above type was in the Boyne Collection.