I am very fond of the
sestertii of this emperor, but your example is truly excellent gb29400! The smooth grey-green
patina it has gives the coin an very aesthetically pleasing appearance.
The
portrait of the philosopher-emperor, apart from being skillfully rendered, makes the divine
Marcus look amazingly young. If the coin was struck AD 166 and he was born in AD 121, then he would have been about 45 at the time, yet the
portrait looks to me like a
man in
his early 20's. Perhaps an example of Greek classical idealism, rather than the
Roman realism typical of a
Flavian emperor, produced for an Antonine emperor who was known during
his reign as being a great lover of Greek culture?
A real show coin!
Best regards,
Steve