| Classical Numismatic Group > Triton XXVII Online Sessions | Auction date: 17 January 2024 |
| Lot number: 6358 Price realized: 275 USD (Approx. 253 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | Show similar lots on CoinArchives Find similar lots in upcoming auctions on  |
| Lot description: Contorniates. Late 4th century AD. Æ Sestertius (33.5mm, 20.51 g, 6h). Proto-contorniate. Rome mint. Struck circa AD 67. IMP NERO CLAVD CAESAR AVG GERM P M TR P XIII P P, laureate head left / Roma seated left on cuirass, holding Victory and spear; various shields to right; ROMA in exergue, S C across field. RIC I 361. Brown patina, light roughness, scratches and marks. VF. Proto-contorniate is the modern term used to describe Roman Imperial and Provincial bronze coins of the first, second, and early third centuries with hammered-up edges. These raised edges on the rims probably occurred after these bronze issues no longer circulated and ceased to be part of the currency in general use. These proto-contorniates are of both emperors and empresses and consist almost exclusively of earlier sestertii, dupondii, and asses. Although several different theories to explain this alteration have been offered over the years, it is generally accepted today that these were given by friends and family to each other as New Year's gifts, perhaps in the late third and first half of the fourth centuries. This was first proposed by Andreas Alföldi in Die Kontorniaten (Budapest, 1943). The rims hammered in this manner gave them a distinctive appearance. Estimate: 300 USD |  |
