RPC III, 1788

 

Image of specimen #1

 

Coin type
Volume III
Number 1788
Province Asia
Subprovince Conventus of Pergamum
Region Lydia
City Stratonicea Hadrianopolis
Reign Hadrian
Person (obv.) Hadrian (Augustus) ; Aelius (Caesar)
Magistrate Candidus II (strategos)
Dating AD 135/6 or 136/7
Obverse inscription ΑΥΤΟ ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟϹ ΚΑΙϹΑΡ ΚΟΜΟΔΟϹ
Nominative Imperator Hadrianus / Caesar Comodus
Obverse design facing busts of Hadrian to left looking right and Aelius to right looking left: laureate and cuirassed bust of Hadrian, with paludamentum, seen from rear and cuirassed bust, bare head, of Aelius, with paludamentum, seen from front
Reverse inscription [ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟΠΟΛ]ΕΙΤΩΝ ΕΠΙ ϹΤΡΑΤΗΓΟΥ ΚΑΝΔΙΔΟΥ [ ]
Reverse design Asclepius standing facing, head right, resting on serpent staff facing Tyche standing facing, head left, holding cornucopia
Metal copper-based alloy
Average diameter 36 mm
Axis 8, 12
Reference H. Cahn, Numismatica 2 (1936), pp. 57–8
Specimens 2 (0 in the core collections)
Note This extraordinary piece, whose reverse design was erased probably in the antiquity, was published by H. Cahn in 1936 under the title ‘ΚΑΙCΑΡ ΚΟΜΟΔΟC. Una moneta inedita di Adriano e Elio coniata a Stratonikeia-Adrianopolis’, Numismatica 2, 1936, pp. 57-8. The attribution to Hadrianopolis-Stratonicea is very firm as it is signed by the strategos Candidus who signed other issues of that city. Aelius is here styled as Commodus, his real name (L. Ceionius Commodus), before his adoption, from which date he was called L. Aelius. Aelius was adopted in the second half of 136. This issue was presumably struck immediately after the news of the adoption reached Hadrianopolis, in AD 136. It is the unique occurrence on the coinage where Aelius is named Com(m)odus.
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Specimens of this coin type

Number Number Museum Bibliography
1 1     ✸ Gorny & Mosch 169, 13 Oct. 2008, lot 190 (ex Münzhandlung Basel 8, 22-23 March 1937, lot 447; H. Schulman, The Thomas Olive Mabbott coll., 6-11 June 1969, lot 1844; Asta Finarte 995, C. Fontana coll., 26-27 Nov. 1996, lot 919; Lanz 92, 4-5 June 1999, lot 612)
2 2     R. Pudill coll.