A Distinguished Collection of Roman Bronze Coins, the Property of a Gentleman

Roman Imperial Coinage, Hadrian, Sestertius, Rome, 134-8, bare-headed and draped bust right, hadrianvs avgvstvs cos iii p p, rev. Emperor on horseback right, hand raised, addressing five (?) soldiers standing left, first holding vexillum, second to fourth holding standards, s c in lower field, exerc britannic[vs] in exergue, 25.37g (cf. RIC 912; cf. C 556; Sear 3591; Spink 638). Very fine with dark patina, extremely rare; the Drabble cataloguer (Albert Baldwin) described it as ‘possibly the finest known specimen’ £3,000-4,000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Distinguished Collection of Roman Bronze Coins, the Property of a Gentleman.

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Provenance: C.S. Bement Collection, Naville Auction VIII (Lucerne), 25-8 June 1924, lot 889; G.C. Drabble Collection, Part I, Glendining Auction, 4-6 July 1939, lot 249.

The design of Hadrian haranguing his soldiers is found on a series of bronzes from the mid-130s. Showing the armies of provinces across the empire, from Germany and Moesia to Spain and Syria, the British issue is one of the rarest