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Hadrian. AD 117-138. Æ As (26.5mm, 10.07 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck AD 119-circa mid 120. Laureate bust right, slight drapery / [BRIT]ANNIA in exergue, Britannia seated left, head facing, foot on rock, resting head on hand and holding scepter, elbow resting on large shield. RIC II.3 241; SCBC 635. Rough green-brown patina. Fine.
Ex Classical Numismatic Group Electronic Auction 513 (6 April 2022), lot 389.
This scarce As was struck during the long series commemorating Hadrian’s travels around the empire. Between AD 119 and the mid 130s, the emperor traveled throughout the Roman Empire, visiting various provinces to take stock of his inheritance and calm the disquiet which had arisen in the later years of Trajan's reign. His travels can be divided into two major episodes, and this coin was struck in commemoration of the first of these. This tour was designed to shore-up Rome's northern borders and began sometime around AD 119 when Hadrian first visited the provinces of Gaul and Germania Inferior and Superior. The emperor then crossed the Channel to Britannia where, during his stay, construction began on a seventy-three-mile long wall across the north of the province, known to this day as Hadrian's Wall. In AD 122-123, Hadrian spent time in Hispania, then travelled east to Asia Minor. The remainder of this first tour was spent in the Balkans and Greece, touring such areas as Dacia and Achaea, before returning to Rome, via Sicily, in AD 126.
Closing Date and Time: 26 April 2023 at 12:30:00 ET.
All winning bids are subject to an 20% buyer’s fee.
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