Antoninus Pius, Aureus, 140-143
Rome - Gold - NGC - Ch XF 5/5-2/5 - RIC:75b
PLEASE NOTE: this collector's item is unique. We therefore cannot guarantee its availability over time and recommend that you do not delay too long in completing your purchase if you are interested.
Bust of Antoninus Pius, bare-headed, draped, cuirassed, right.
Antoninus Pius, togate, seated left on chair (sella curulis) set on low platform on right, extending right hand and holding volumen in left; by him, Liberalitas, standing left, holding account board (abacus) in right hand and cornucopiae in left; in front, citizen standing right, holding out fold of toga.
Graded NGC : Ch XF Strike 5/5, Surface 2/5, Fine style, scuffs. Edge marks. Brushed. Several marks on the edge (12h, 2h, 3h on the right). On the right, scuff marks on the toga, on the "PIVS" and several on the face of the portrait; on the reverse, several scuff marks on the figure of the seated emperor and on Liberalitas, the "A" of "AVG", on the grenetis at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock. Magnificent specimen of the issues in the type of the emperor's "Liberalitas". Here, the engraver depicts the emperor in one of his characteristic virtues: liberality, i.e. the distribution of wealth to the people, often money. This is an essential part of imperial propaganda and of the image of the emperor perceived by the entire population of the empire, and in particular the people of Rome. It is a frequent theme in imperial representations, of which we have here a superb scene, for one of the emperors who represented for his successors a "model emperor", or "optimus principi". RIC III Antoninus Pius 75b.
ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P COS III
LIBERALITAS AVG III
7.08 gr
Gold
Although nowadays gold enjoys a reputation as the king of precious metals, that was not always the case. For example, in Ancient Greece, Corinthian bronze was widely considered to be superior. However, over the course of time, it has established itself as the prince of money, even though it frequently vies with silver for the top spot as the standard.
Nevertheless, there are other metals which appear to be even more precious than this duo, take for example rhodium and platinum. That is certain. Yet, if the ore is not as available, how can money be produced in sufficient quantities? It is therefore a matter of striking a subtle balance between rarity and availability.
But it gets better: gold is not only virtually unreactive, whatever the storage conditions (and trouser pockets are hardly the most precious of storage cases), but also malleable (coins and engravers appreciate that).
It thus represents the ideal mix for striking coins without delay – and we were not going to let it slip away!
The chemical symbol for gold is Au, which derives from its Latin name aurum. Its origins are probably extraterrestrial, effectively stardust released following a violent collision between two neutron stars. Not merely precious, but equally poetic…
The first gold coins were minted by the kings of Lydia, probably between the 8th and 6th century BC. Whereas nowadays the only gold coins minted are investment coins (bullion coins) or part of limited-edition series aimed at collectors, that was not always the case. And gold circulated extensively from hand to hand and from era to era, from the ancient gold deposits of the River Pactolus to the early years of the 20th century.
As a precious metal, in the same way as silver, gold is used for minting coins with intrinsic value, which is to say the value of which is constituted by the metal from which they are made. Even so, nowadays, the value to the collector frequently far exceeds that of the metal itself...
It should be noted that gold, which is naturally very malleable, is frequently supplemented with small amounts of other metals to render it harder.
The millesimal fineness (or alloy) of a coin indicates the exact proportion (in parts per thousand) of gold included in the composition. We thus speak, for example, of 999‰ gold or 999 parts of gold per 1 part of other metals. This measure is important for investment coins such as bullion. In France, it was expressed in carats until 1995.