| Heritage World Coin Auctions > CSNS Signature Sale 3115 | Auction date: 8 May 2024 |
| Lot number: 31081 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction - Bid on this lot  | Show similar lots on CoinArchives Find similar lots in upcoming auctions on  |
| Lot description: Ancients Aelius Caesar (AD 136-138). AV aureus (19mm, 7.25 gm, 6h). NGC XF 5/5 - 3/5, Fine Style. Rome, AD 137. L•AELIVS-CAESAR, bare head of Aelius Caesar left / TRIB POT-COS II, Concordia enthroned left, patera in outstretched right hand, resting left elbow on cornucopia set on chair; CONCORD in exergue. Calicó 1445 (same rev. die). RIC II.3, 2707. This coin is a masterpiece, boasting a breathtakingly beautiful appearance. Its deep sepia toning elegantly frames the devices, accentuating the striking portrait of Aelius and the coin's exquisite Fine Style features with its bright backlit luster. This coin must be enjoyed in hand. Ex Heritage Auction, Auction 3094 (19 August 2021), lot 33069; Collection of an Armenian businessman (Leu Numismatik, Auction 7, 24 October 2020), lot 1599; Aurora Collection (The New York Sale XXXII, 8 January 2014), lot 21. Aelius Caesar began life circa AD 104, as Lucius Ceionius Commodus, son of the distinguished senator by the same name that was consul in the year AD 106. Handsome and affable, Lucius entered public service in his 20s and rose steadily through the ladder of public offices until he attracted the attention of the Emperor Hadrian, who by the mid AD 130s was aging rapidly and searching for a suitable heir. Upon attaining the consulship, in AD 136, Aelius was formally adopted by Hadrian and took the name Lucius Aelius Caesar, clearly marking him out as successor to the throne. Historians have long speculated as to why Hadrian chose the seemingly unimpressive Aelius, some even postulating that he was Hadrian's illegitimate son. In any case, his elevation was duly celebrated with elaborate games and Hadrian even coerced the deaths of two potential rivals, that were accused of plotting a coup. In AD 137, Aelius served another consulship and was granted the tribunician power, making him Hadrian's junior partner in government. He left for Pannonia that year to gain experience managing a province; however, the climate was hard on his already frail constitution, and he returned to Rome in the winter having contracted tuberculosis. He fell seriously ill on New Year's Eve and died early on 1 January AD 138, prompting Hadrian to remark that he had "leaned against a tottering wall." This beautiful gold aureus depicts the doomed heir Aelius with a luxuriant head of curls and a longer beard than Hadrian's, setting the style for the Antonine rulers that followed. The reverse depicts Concordia, goddess of harmony, perhaps a call for calm after the turbulent settlement of succession. https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/roman-imperial/ancients-aelius-caesar-ad-136-138-av-aureus-19mm-725-gm-6h-ngc-xf-5-5-3-5-fine-style/a/3115-31081.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-3115-05082024 HID02906262019 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved Estimate: 10000-12000 USD |  |
