Hadrian. AD 117-138. AR Denarius (17mm, 3.65 g, 6h). “Travel series” issue (“Provinces cycle”) – The province alone. Rome mint. Struck circa AD 130-133. EF.

CNG Feature Auction 133
Lot: 558. Estimated: $ 500

Roman Imperial, Silver

Sold For $ 7 250. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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Hadrian. AD 117-138. AR Denarius (17mm, 3.65 g, 6h). “Travel series” issue (“Provinces cycle”) – The province alone. Rome mint. Struck circa AD 130-133. Laureate head right / AFRICA, Africa reclining left, leaning on rock, wearing elephant-skin headdress, holding scorpion and cornucopia; basket of grain ears to left. RIC II.3 1494; RSC 138. Toned. EF. Well struck with fresh dies.

Between the years AD 119 and 136, the emperor Hadrian travelled 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. The first 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 73-mile long wall across the north of the province. In AD 122-123, Hadrian spent time in Hispania, then traveled 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.

Hadrian’s second tour began in AD 128, when he set out on a short tour of the provinces of Africa and Mauretania. Returning for a brief stay in Rome, Hadrian then went again to Asia Minor, and continued into the Levant. In AD 130, Hadrian moved on to Egypt, where he visited Alexandria. It was while Hadrian was on tour in Egypt that his favorite, Antinoüs, mysteriously drowned in the Nile. The Bar Kochba revolt in Judaea may have forced Hadrian to return in the region circa AD 133/4, but this is uncertain. By AD 134, Hadrian’s journeys had ended and he spent his remaining years at his grand villa in Tivoli, which he stocked with mementos from his travels.

The final winners of all CNG Feature Auction 133 lots will be determined at the live online sale that will be held on 15-16 September 2026.

CNG Feature Auction 133 – Session Two – Lot 309-594 will be held Tuesday morning, 15 September 2026 beginning at 2:00 PM ET.

Winning bids are subject to a 22.5% buyer's fee for bids placed on this website and 25% for all others.

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