ANTONINUS PIUS

AD 138-161 AE Drachm. 25.50g, 34.3mm MINTED: EGYPT, Alexandria, RY 9 (AD 145/6) REF: Emmett 1644.9; Dattari 2794; RPC Online 13579 OBVERSE: Laureate head right.

REVERSE: Roma seated left on cuirass, holding Nike and parazonium; wheel below; L ENATOV around.

Provenance:

Ex Robert L. Grover Collection of Roman-Egyptian Coinage, previously held by the Art Institute of Chicago (1982.1980)

A rare museum pedigree, sold with its original catalogue tag indicating the accession number (1982.1980) used when was received into the museum's collection.

Notes:

Attractive brown patina. Well-centered.

Historical Notes:

Egypt supplied as much as half of Rome’s annual grain supply, and was as such a hugely important province. Its economic and cultural heart was Alexandria, the second largest city in the Empire with a population of more than half a million during the time of Augustus. The coins of Roman Egypt were heavily used in daily commerce, and most often found in extremely worn condition. They are nevertheless highly collectible and interesting, sometimes featuring unique Egyptian-themed reverses and deities.