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

Roman Imperial Coinage, Antoninus Pius, Sestertius, Rome, 143, laureate bust right, antoninvs avg pivs p p tr p cos iii, rev. britannia, Britannia seated left on rock, leaning on shield, holding standard in right hand and spear against left arm, s c in exergue, 28.89g (RIC 742; BMC 1638; C 116; Sear 4153; Spink 640). Some marks in fields, otherwise very fine or better, brown patina, one of the finest known specimens, very rare £2,000-3,000

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: R. Carfrae Collection, Sotheby Auction, 8-11 July 1901, lot 114; C.S. Bement Collection, Naville Auction VIII (Lucerne), 25-8 June 1924, lot 944; H.G.C. Day Collection; G.C. Drabble Collection, Part I, Glendining Auction, 4-6 July 1939, lot 254 [from Baldwin 1935].

Under instructions from the emperor, the general Quintus Lollius Urbicus undertook an invasion of southern Scotland, winning some significant victories and constructing the Antonine Wall from the Firth of Forth to the Firth of Clyde. The wall, however, was soon gradually decommissioned during the mid-150s and eventually abandoned late in the reign