Pertinax, Aureus, 193
Rome - Extremely rare - Gold - AU(55-58) - RIC:4a
Sold
Head of Pertinax, laureate, right.
Laetitia, draped, standing left, holding wreath in right hand and sceptre set on globe in left hand.
Superb aureus, extremely rare and in magnificent condition! It shows a splendid portrait, with remarkable traits and engraving, as well as the reverse with the divinity in full details in its drapery and attributes, a magnificent work of the engraver! This specimen shows traces of an old mounting as a jewellery, on the observe at 9 and between 6 and 7 o'clock, two small marks are visible; the grenetis located at 6 o'clock on the reverse has also been pushed in by it. At these two spots, the edge has been smoothed by the mounting process. We can also see that this coin has been moulded; remains of plaster are visible in micro-holes on the observe at 11 and 4 o'clock, as well as in a crack in the flan (which appeared when the coin was struck) on the edge at 8 o'clock. Slight remains are also visible around certain letters and around the grenetis. It has certainly been professionally cleaned following the moulding, and traces of plaster remain minimal with the exception of the edge, which is more visible. These various observations are in line with the long-standing pedigree of this splendid object, previously sold by Fritz Rudolf Künker (04/04/2022, Auction 365, lot 5372), and by Ira & Larry Goldberg (03/02/2013, Auction 72, lot 4161), the latter indicating that it came from the prestigious Hunter collection. We see that this flan has been struck by observe and reverse dies with notable damages : die breaks have been noted on the eye of the portrait, on the crown and even a slight one linking the "P" of "PERTIN" to the portrait. Irregularities in the fields suggest a lack of metal on the dies due to the numerous strike of monetary flans. Finally, on the reverse, in the lower left-hand field, there is a very small graffito "T", most probably indicating that the object belonged to a soldier (of high rank?), possibly one of the soldiers under the command of Pertinax. If we put this superb aureus into its historical context, it was struck in the name of Pertinax, one of the emperors who acceded to the imperial purple following the assassination of Commodus on 31 December 192, since he was one of his close friends, being his colleague for the Consulate in 192. He was elevated to the power of the empire by the Senate the day after the assassination, on January 1st 193, after being supported to the empire's lead by Commodus' conspirators the day before. In order to improve the economic situation of the empire and secure the support of Rome's Praetorian Guard, he did not hesitate to promise and make "donativa" (monetary gifts) to the city's soldiers. However, it was this action that got him killed, as the troops who killed him were unhappy with the payment they had received from the new emperor. A highly experienced administrator with numerous connections in the high spheres of the empire as a relative of Marcus Aurelius, he first made a career in the army before being named Consul suffect in 175 and led his troops in various conflicts on the empire's frontiers, where he notably put down the revolt in the East by Avidius Cassius in 175. Shortly before his accession to power, he was made pro-consul of Africa during the years 188-189, one of the most prestigious positions in the empire, before being named Prefect of Rome between 190 and 192 before being named Consul. His political career, his probity and his loyalty to Marcus Aurelius and his successor earned him public funerals and an apotheosis, all organised by Septimius Severus, after he had retaken Rome, and games were held in his honour in the following years.
IMP CAES P HELV PERTIN• AVG
LAETITIA • TEMPOR COS II
7.1 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.
An “AU(55-58)” quality
As in numismatics, it is important that the state of conservation of an item be carefully evaluated before it is offered to a discerning collector with a keen eye.
This initially obscure acronym comprising two words describing the state of conservation is explained clearly here:
About Uncirculated(55-58)
This means – more prosaically – that the coin has been in circulation but sufficiently little that its original beauty is preserved almost in its entirety. The wear is barely visible and any other defect can only be identified with a magnifying glass or a particularly keen eye. The number (55-58) indicates that between three quarters and almost all of the original luster remains.
