EGYPT, Alexandria. Hadrian. AD 117-138. Æ Drachm (32mm, 22.25 g, 12h). Dated RY 21 (AD 136/7). Good Fine.

Keystone 17 – The W. Toliver Besson Collection
Lot: 201. Estimated: $ 100

Roman Provincial, Bronze

Sold For $ 200. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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EGYPT, Alexandria. Hadrian. AD 117-138. Æ Drachm (32mm, 22.25 g, 12h). Dated RY 21 (AD 136/7). Bare head left / Serapis, holding grain ears and scepter, reclining left on eagle standing facing, head left, with wings displayed; L K A (date) across field. Köln –; Dattari (Savio) 1840; K&G 32.748; RPC III 6199A; Emmett 1034.21. Earthen brown patina, light porosity, edge flaws. Good Fine. Very rare.

From the W. Toliver Besson Collection, purchased from Amphora Coins, 6 January 2012.

The god Sarapis was a syncretistic Hellenistic-Egyptian god whose worship combined Greek and Egyptian religious beliefs. The name itself is formed by a combination of the Egyptian god of the Underworld, Osiris (Ausar), with Apis (Hapi), a manifestation of the regenerative god Ptah. As the chief god of the new Ptolemaic dynasty, Serapis soon became the subject of the chief royal cult. The belief in an afterlife made it one of the more popular mystery cults, and portraits of the god are known throughout the empire. In Alexandria a large temple complex, the Serapeum, was constructed, and continued to operate until it was destroyed by an angry Christian mob in the late 4th century AD.

Closing Date and Time: 22 July 2026 at 11:06:40 ET.



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