Hadrian sestertius Lictor

[okidoki]

Reference. Very rare
RIC 590b; Banti 620; Strack ; C 1210


Obv. IMP CAES TRAIANVS HADRIANVS AVG P M TR P COS III
Laureate heroic bust right, slight drapery

Rev. RELIQVA VETERA HS NOVIES MILL ABOLITA / S - C
Lictor standing left, holding fasces, setting fire to heap of bonds with torch.

25.59 gr
32 mm
6h

Notes.

In July of AD 118 Hadrian made his first appearance in Rome as emperor to celebrate a Parthian triumph in the name of Trajan. He was quickly called away to Moesia to subdue the Sarmatians and Roxolani. While away, four high ranking senators – Lucius Quietus, Cornelius Palma, L. Publius Celsus and C. Avidius – were executed by the senate for an alleged conspiracy against Hadrian, despite a promise by Hadrian not to execute members of the Senate. To calm a suspicious public, Hadrian held a week long gladiatorial show, granted an extra public largesse, and, as this coin advertises, relinquished the public debt to the state equaling 900 million sestertii. This event culminated in an elaborate ceremony held in the Forum of Trajan where all records of these debts were set on fire.

I was wondering why such an important coin is so rare, and why only on sestertii?

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-132184

[curtislclay]

Eric,

These are the sort of questions I don't waste time asking, because they can never be answered! We could only speculate, but that would lead nowhere; better to admit openly that we don't know and almost certainly never will!

The RELIQVA VETERA sestertii are much sought after because of their interesting historical type and legend, but not all varieties are really very rare.

Your type with just the lictor is fairly obtainable; most large collections will have a specimen. There were four specimens of this variety in the Garonne hoard; 30 francs in Cohen.

Lictor still standing left, but two citizens added before him: 60 francs in Cohen. Three citizens added: 100 francs. The Garonne hoard contained one specimen each of these two varieties.

The rarest variety is a mirror image of the two-citizen type, with the lictor standing right not left and the two citizens on the right not the left. Strack 558 could cite only the BM specimen, which Cohen too had cited, valuing it at 60 francs. None of this variety in the Garonne hoard.

[okidoki]

Curtis, i see what you mean.
thank you on the extra Hoard information.

Best,

Eric