Sestertius with Marcus Aurelius as Caesar in quadriga

The presented sestertius is a specimen featuring a highly desirable youthful portrait of Marcus (in a rarer variant showing a draped bust on the far shoulder) and represents an interesting commemorative issue. On the reverse, we see Caesar (he received the title of successor in 139 AD) during a triumphal procession through the streets of Rome at the time of his second consulship, precisely in 145 AD.

Marcus Aurelius, dressed in a draped toga, is shown driving a decorated quadriga, holding the reins in his right hand and a scepter topped with an eagle in his left. That same year, he married the daughter of Emperor Antoninus Pius - Faustina the Younger - thus strengthening his ties to the dynasty. These were not the only duties on the shoulders of the still-young Marcus, as for several years, alongside the officially reigning Antoninus, he had been groomed for the exercise of independent power (in fact, during the first eight years, together with Lucius Verus).

The coin is covered in a dark green, glassy patina, which, although quite challenging to capture photographically, truly reveals its beauty only when held in one’s own hands.

Obverse: AVRELIVS CAESAR AVG PII F COS II: Head of Marcus Aurelius, bare, draped, right.

Reverse: S C: Marcus Aurelius, draped, standing in quadriga, pacing right, holding reins in right hand and eagle-tipped sceptre in left.

Riferimento : RIC III Antoninus Pius 1246 var.

Fonte : https://www.instagram.com/p/DI64ROeuXxF/

Collezione : Marcus Aurelius: A Stoic Emperor's Legacy in Coins