Hadrian. AD 117-138. Æ Sestertius (32mm, 26.39 g, 11h). “Travel series” issue (“Provinces cycle”) – The province alone. Rome mint. Struck circa AD 130-133. VF.

Electronic Auction 610 – Session 2
Lot: 1082.
Closing Date: Jun 4 2026 10:00 ET

Roman Imperial, Bronze

Estimate: $ 300

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Hadrian. AD 117-138. Æ Sestertius (32mm, 26.39 g, 11h). “Travel series” issue (“Provinces cycle”) – The province alone. Rome mint. Struck circa AD 130-133. Bareheaded and draped bust right / AFRICA above, S C in exergue, Africa, draped, wearing elephant-skin headdress, reclining left, holding scorpion and cornucopia, left elbow resting on rock; to left, basket of grain ears. RIC II.3 1610; Banti 89. Dark green and brown surfaces, tooling. VF.

Hadrian seems never to have felt fully comfortable in Rome and spent most of his 21-year reign traveling, eventually visiting nearly every Roman province. The local mints often struck special issues of coins to mark the occasion of his arrival. Here, Africa is represented wearing a distinctive elephant-skin headdress (first depicted on coins of Ptolemy I four centuries before). She cradles a cornucopia, reflecting the province’s status as the Empire’s granary, and also holds a scorpion, perhaps representing the local fauna or an astrological allusion.

Closing Date and Time: 4 June 2026 at 10:27:00 ET.

All winning bids are subject to a 20% buyer’s fee.