| Savoca Numismatik GmbH & Co. KG > Online Auction 193 | Silver | Auction date: 28 January 2024 |
| Lot number: 191 Price realized: 90 EUR (Approx. 97 USD) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Divus Marcus Aurelius AD 180. Struck under Commodus, AD 180. Rome Denarius AR 18 mm, 2,78 g DIVVS [M AN]TONINVS PIVS, bare head of Marcus Aurelius to right / CONSECRATIO, eagle standing right on garlanded altar, head left. Very Fine RIC 272. "CONSECRATIO" refers to the act of consecration, a ritualized process of elevating a deceased emperor to divine status after their death. The eagle, often associated with Jupiter, the king of gods, symbolizes the emperor's soul ascending to the heavens and being received among the gods. The placement of the eagle on a thunderbolt reinforces its divine connection, as the thunderbolt was associated with Jupiter's power and authority. The eagle's majestic stance and spread wings evoke a sense of elevation and majesty. This coin imagery underscores the Romans' beliefs in the divine nature of their emperors and the continuity of power and authority beyond death. It reflects the ritualized nature of emperor worship and the symbolic transition from mortal ruler to divine entity, linking the emperor to the realm of gods in the Roman pantheon. Starting price: 50 EUR |  |
Match 1:
| Savoca Numismatik GmbH & Co. KG > Online Auction 203 | Silver | Auction date: 24 March 2024 |
| Lot number: 514 Price realized: 65 EUR (Approx. 71 USD) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Divus Marcus Aurelius AD 180. Struck under Commodus, 180 AD. Rome Sestertius Æ 32 mm, 21,20 g DIVVS M ANT-ONINVS PIVS, bare head right / CONSECRATIO, S C across field, eagle standing right on garlanded altar, head left, with wings outstretched. Fine RIC III 657 (Commodus); MIR 18, 479-6/10; Banti 45; BMCRE 391 (Commodus); Cohen 85. Starting price: 50 EUR |  |
Match 2:
| Numismatica Ars Classica > Auction 146 | Auction date: 8 May 2024 |
| Lot number: 2351 Price realized: 46,000 CHF (Approx. 50,655 USD / 47,125 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Marcus Aurelius augustus, 161 – 180. Divus Marcus Aurelius. Aureus after 180, AV 21 mm, 7.11 g. DIVVS M ANT – ONINVS PIVS Bare head r. Rev. CONSE – CRATIO Four-storey funeral pyre garlanded and adorned with statue; surmounted by Marcus Aurelius in quadriga. C 96. BMC Commodus 26. RIC Commodus 275. Calicó 1834. Very rare and in exceptional condition for the issue, undoubtedly among the finest specimens known. Struck on an exceptionally large flan. Virtually as struck and almost Fdc Ex Künker sale 273, 2016, 813. The long reign of Marcus Aurelius came to an end on March 17, 180 when the aged and infirm emperor died while on campaign fighting the Marcomanni and Quadi along the Danubian frontier at Vindobona (modern Vienna). His death brought to an end the century-long era of the 'Adoptive Emperors', the rulers from Nerva to Marcus Aurelius whose reigns collectively were the culmination of Roman civilization. The key to this most prosperous period in Roman history had been the imperial institution of succession by adoption, whereby the candidate chosen as successor had been carefully selected and then groomed in the responsibilities of government. While Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian and Antoninus Pius all died without natural heirs and thus relied on this institution to provide a successor, Marcus Aurelius had a son, Commodus, whom he planned to succeed him. After Aurelius' death, the Senate obliged Commodus' request to deify his late father, and the mint at Rome soon produced a prodigious commemorative coinage in his honour, including this attractive aureus showing the lofty funeral pyre on which the emperor was cremated Estimate: 25000 CHF |  |
Match 3:
| Leu Numismatik AG > Web Auction 29 | Auction date: 24 February 2024 |
| Lot number: 2103 Price realized: 240 CHF (Approx. 272 USD / 252 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Divus Marcus Aurelius, died 180. Sestertius (Orichalcum, 29 mm, 20.69 g, 6 h), Rome, struck under Commodus, 180. DIVVS M ANTONINVS PIVS Bare head of Divus Marcus Aurelius to right. Rev. CONSECRATIO / S - C Divus Marcus Aurelius, raising his right hand in salute and holding scepter in his left, seated to left on the back of an eagle flying to right, holding thunderbolt in its talons. BMC 395. Cohen 94. RIC 660. Scratch on the reverse, otherwise, very fine. From a European collection, acquired from Aes Rude Titano in the 1990s. There are several types employed for Consecration issues, from funeral pyres to altars, eagles, and peacocks. While eagles were reserved for deified emperors, peacocks are usually found on the reverses of consecration issues of empresses, as the peacock was the bird sacred to Juno, the queen of the gods. Here, we have the deified Marcus Aurelius, seated upon the back of an eagle, the bird sacred to Jupiter, the king of the gods. It appears that it is just about to begin its flight to bring the soul of the emperor to Mount Olympus, where he can join in the feasting and celebration with the other gods, both the original Graeco-Roman pantheon as well as his imperial predecessors, who had been deified before him. Starting price: 50 CHF |  |
Match 4:
| Leu Numismatik AG > Web Auction 28 | Auction date: 9 December 2023 |
| Lot number: 3700 Price realized: 150 CHF (Approx. 171 USD / 158 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Divus Marcus Aurelius, died 180. Denarius (Silver, 17 mm, 3.22 g, 12 h), Rome, struck under Commodus. DIVVS M ANTONINVS PIVS Bare head of Divus Marcus Aurelius to right. Rev. CONSECRATIO Eagle standing front on thunderbolt, wings spread and head to left. BMC 22. Cohen 83. RIC 269. A lightly toned example with an excellent portrait. Flan crack, otherwise, good very fine. Starting price: 25 CHF |  |
Match 5:
| Savoca Numismatik GmbH & Co. KG > Online Auction 198 | Silver | Auction date: 25 February 2024 |
| Lot number: 238 Price realized: 75 EUR (Approx. 81 USD) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Commodus AD 177-192. Rome Denarius AR 18 mm, 2,69 g M COMM ANT P FEL AVG BRIT, laureate head right / VOT SOL DEC P M TR P XII IMP VIII, Commodus standing facing, togate and veiled with head to left, holding roll and patera over tripod altar with slain sacrificial bull behind; COS V [P P] in exergue. Good Very Fine RIC III 161; BMCRE 229; RSC 1001. Commodus, also known as Lucius Aurelius Commodus, was a Roman emperor who ruled from AD 177 to 192. He was the son of Emperor Marcus Aurelius and became co-emperor with his father in AD 177 before succeeding him as the sole ruler upon Marcus Aurelius' death in AD 180. Commodus' reign was marked by extravagance, mismanagement, and authoritarian rule. He is famously depicted as a cruel and erratic ruler in historical accounts, including the film "Gladiator," where he is portrayed as a power-hungry and unstable emperor. During his rule, Commodus indulged in lavish spending, engaged in gladiatorial combats, and saw himself as a god-like figure. His autocratic and erratic behavior led to unrest and dissatisfaction among the Roman people, and his reign ultimately ended with assassination in AD 192. Commodus' tumultuous rule remains a significant and intriguing part of Roman history, and his actions had lasting consequences for the Roman Empire. Starting price: 50 EUR |  |
