Pre-Long Beach Auction #91

Aelius. Silver Denarius (3.29 g), Caesar, AD 136-138. EF. Rome, under Hadrian, AD 137. L AELIVS CAESAR, bare head of Aelius right. Reverse TRIB POT COS II, CONCORD in exergue, Concordia seated left, holding patera and resting arm on cornucopiae balanced on side of throne. Cf. RIC 443 (aureus); Strack 398; BMC 1001; RSC 11a. Boldly struck with the portrait in high relief. Extremely Fine.
Overlooking the BM specimen, Mattingly and Sydenham omitted this type when compiling RIC II, which was published in 1926. Four specimens were amongst the coins in the massive 1929 Réka-Devnia Hoard, and perhaps it is for this reason that it was 'rediscovered' by both Strack in his study of Hadrian (1933) and Mattingly in BMC (1936). The type was marginally more common by number of specimens relative to several other types found in Réka-Devnia; however, it remains an elusive rarity for today's specialist of Hadrian's coinage. Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,300

Ex Goldberg's Exceptional Roman Denarii Coll. #3160.