HADRIAN
AD 117-138
AE Drachm. 22.92g, 34.6mm
MINTED: EGYPT, Alexandria, RY 16 (AD 131/2)
REF: Emmett 1063.16; Dattari 1866; RPC 5797
OBVERSE: Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from rear.
REVERSE: Tyche reclining left, on lectisternium, holding rudder; L ΙϚ above.
 
Notes:
Dark mottled green and red patina. 
An affordable large provincial bronze with a rare museum pedigree, and sold with its original museum catalogue tag.
 
Provenance:
Ex Robert L. Grover Collection of Roman-Egyptian Coinage, previously held by the Art Institute of Chicago (1980.970)
 
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.