Lucius Verus, Sestertius, 161-162
Rome - Bronze - VF(30-35) - RIC:1321
PLEASE NOTE: this collector's item is unique. We therefore cannot guarantee its availability over time and recommend that you do not delay too long in completing your purchase if you are interested.
Head of Lucius Verus, laureate, right.
Lucius Verus, in military dress, sitting on horse, prancing right, and holding transversal spear in both hands; before him, soldier, standing right with spear in right hand and shield on left arm; behind him, three soldiers, standing right
Extremely rare sestertius, variety of RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1321 with the laureate head of Lucius Verus. For these two varieties, only 3 examples are known in public collections and less than 5 have been seen in recent auctions. Unfortunately damaged by the passing years, it is nevertheless a rarely-seen example, representing the ceremony of a consul's or emperor's departure to war, in this case the co-emperor Lucius Verus.
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28.05 gr
Bronze
Bronze (not to be confused with brass, although usage of the two terms varied in times of yore) is an extremely ancient alloy with origins going back to the period around 2,000 BC. Also known...wait for it...as the Bronze Age (who would have guessed?). Back in ancient times, a proportion of 10% tin was added to copper. It was used in particular for luxurious objects such as swords, helmets, hairpins, and even chariot ornaments.
That is by no means insignificant though, as when putting on a bronze helmet you would already find yourself with an extra 3 kilos or so on your head. Add to that your sword and armor…let’s see you advance quickly now!
The heavyweight of alloys one might say*.
The first Western bronze coins probably date back to the end of the 4th century BC and Greece.
Although the coins may be ancient, it is more difficult to date the appearance of a specific word for this alloy. The earliest record is a Venetian manuscript in Greek dating from the 11th century, but it is not impossible that it was in use earlier.
Nowadays, the bronze used in coinage is an alloy of copper (majority) and tin (minority) along with other metals such as zinc, for example, which improves the castability, or nickel, which produces a harder alloy. Its main qualities are undeniably its great resistance to corrosion and mechanical wear as well as...its aesthetic aspect.
The patina of bronze can vary, ranging from verdigris to brown through to black.
*Actually, puns aside, copper and cupronickel have a greater density, for example.
