Nero
54 - 68 A.D.
One of ancient history's most infamous characters, Nero rose to power in his mid-teens following the death of Claudius, his adoptive fatheright To speed things along he had Britannicus poisoned and in league with his mother Agrippina had had Claudius poisoned as welleft His next few years were failry unremarkable one way or the other largely in part because of Agrippina's overbearing influence. He corrected the problem, however, by having her executed on the pretext that she had a disfavorable view of Poppaea, his new mistress. Because he was already married to a certain Octavia he had her exiled and murdered as well. He would later kick Poppaea to death while she was pregnant. To round things out he had his teacher Seneca, another influential man of his age, commit suicide on suspicions of him and others plotting against him.
Popular legend holds that he set fire to Rome. Modern historians dismiss this account as an exaggeration but his decision to hold a poetry recital with the conflagration as his background was a crass political blunder that would hurt his popularity immensely. Needing to find a scapegoat, he chose to point the finger at Christians who up til then had been but a fledgling cult. For the next 300 years Christians would be villified for every ailment within the empire and used regularly as cannon fodder in the Colisseum. In one of the more bizarre spectacles imaginable, Nero would set Christians on fire and held in position to act as torches during his parties.
Becoming ever more hated for his cruelty and the demoralizing effect of the execution of countless innocent individuals, one by one far-flung provinces seceded and named emperors among their own. When Nero was unable to deal with the insurgencies he lost hope and fled to the countryside. The Senate then issued a warrant for his arrest and, on hearing of this, decided to commit suicide... but not before asking one of his slaves to commit suicide first just to see what it would be like!
Aureus
RIC 52, Cohen 118, BMC 67 Aureus Obv: NEROCAESARAVGVSTVS; Laureate head right.
Rev: IVPPITERCVSTOS; Jupiter seated left, holding thunderbolt and scepteright
RIC 59, Cohen 313 Aureus Obv: NEROCAESARAVGVSTVS, Laureate head right
Rev: No legend Exe: SALVS, Salus seated left on throne, holding patera in right hand.
RIC 63, Cohen 120 Aureus Obv: IMPNEROCAESARAVGVSTVS, laureate head right.
Rev: IVPPITERCVSTOS, Jupiter seated left, holding thunderbolt in right hand, sceptre in left.
RIC 76, BMC 84 Aureus Obv: NEROCLAVDCAESDRVSVSGERMPRINCIIVENT.
Rev: SACERDCOOPTINOMNCONLSVPRANVM; Simpulum/tripod and lituus/patera.
AR Denarius
RIC 2, RSC 7 AR Denarius Obv: AGRIPPAVGDIVICLAVDNERONISCAESMATER, confronted heads of Nero and Agrippina, Nero is bare-headed facing right, Agrippina is draped facing left.
Rev: NERONICLAVDDIVIFCAESAVGGERMIMPTRP, EXSC within oak wreath.
RIC 30, BMC 32 AR Denarius Obv: NEROCAESARAVGIMP - Bareheaded right.
Rev: PONTIFMAXTRPVIIICOSIIII - Ceres standing left, holding corn ears and torch.
RIC 45, RSC 43 AR Denarius Obv: NEROCAESARAVGVSTVS, laureate head right.
Rev: AVGVSTVSAVGVSTA, Nero, radiate, on left, holding patera and sceptre, and Statilia Messalina on right, holding patera and cornucopiae, both standing facing.
RIC 47, RSC 45 AR Denarius Obv: NEROCAESAR, laureate head right
Rev: AVGVSTVSGERMANICVS, Nero standing facing, togate and radiate, holding Victory and laurel branch.
RIC 49, Cohen 67 AR Denarius Obv: NEROCAESARAVGVSTVS; Laureate head right.
Rev: CONCORDIAAVGVSTA, Concordia seated left.
RIC 53, BMC 74 AR Denarius Obv: NEROCAESARAVGVSTVS. Laureate head right.
Rev: IVPPITERCVSTOS. Jupiter, bare to waist, seated left on throne, right hand holding thunderbolt, left long scepteright
RIC 60, BMC 90 AR Denarius Obv: NEROCAESARAVGVSTVS - Laureate head right
Rev: SALVS - Salus seated left, holding patera and resting left arm by her side.
RIC 62, RSC 335 AR Denarius Obv: NEROCAESARAVGVSTVS - Laureate head right.
Rev: VESTA - Domed hexastyle temple of Vesta with four steps and Vesta within draped and standing left holding scepter and patera.
RIC 67, RSC 318 AR Denarius Obv: IMPNEROCAESARAVGVSTVS, laureate head right
Rev: SALVS in exergue, Salus seated left on throne, holding patera.
RIC 68, BMC 107 AR Denarius Obv: IMPNEROCAESARAVGPP - Laureate head right.
Rev: No legend - Two standards with an eagle between.
RIC 72, RSC 320 AR Denarius Obv: IMPNEROCAESARAVGPP, laureate head right
Rev: SALVS across field, Salus seated left on throne, holding patera in right hand.
RIC 79v AR Denarius Obv: NERONICLAVDIODRVSOGERMCOSDESIGN - Bare head bust right
Rev: EQVESTER/OR/DO/PRINCIPI/IVVENT - in four lines on shields with vertical spears behind. Lot sold for $34 11/1/01.
RIC 98, BMC 87 AR Denarius Obv: NEROCLAVDCAESDRVSVSGERMPRINCIVVENT, Nero’s young bare head, draped, left.
Rev: SACERDCOOPTINOMNCONLSVPRANVMEXSC; (Sacredos cooptatus in omni conlegio supra numerum ex senatus cosulto), simpulum on tripod, priest’s wand and patera.
AR Quinarius
Unlisted AR Quinarius Obv: NEROCLAVDDIVIFCAESAVGGERMIMPTRPCOS - Laureate head right of Claudius.
Rev: No legend - Victory seated left on globe holding wreath with both hands.
Sestertius
RIC 264, Cohen 146 Sestertius Obv: NEROCLAVDCAESARAVGGERPMTRPIMPPP, laureate head right
Rev: PACEPRTERRAMARIQPARTAIANVMCLVSIT, S C across field, Temple of Janus with latticed windows and garland hung across doors; doors to the right.
RIC 292, Cohen 207 Sestertius Obv: NEROCLAVDCAESARAVGGERPMTRPIMPPP. Nero, laureate, right
Rev: No legend; S C to left and right of Roma, helmeted and in military dress, seated left on cuirass, right hand holding Victory,
left resting on parazonium; around and behind, various shields, etc.
RIC 356, Cohen 284 Sestertius Obv: IMPNEROCLAVDCAESARAVGGERMPMTRPXIIIPP, laureate head right
Rev: S C across field, ROMA in exergue, Roma seated left on cuirass, holding long sceptre and resting left arm on shield.
RIC 393, Cohen 306 Sestertius Obv: NEROCLAVDCAESARAVGGERPMTRPIMPPP, laureate head left, globe at point of bust
Rev: S C across field, triumphal arch surmounted by statue of emperor in quadriga accompanied by Pax and Victory, flanked by two soldiers (torch bearers?); a nude, helmeted statue of Mars in side niche of arch, otherwise decorated with friezes of battle scenes.
RIC 397 Sestertius Obv: NEROCLAVDCAESARAVGGERPMTRPIMPPP. Nero, laureate, left.
Rev: No legend Exe: DECVRSIO; S C to left and right of Nero, bare-headed, cuirassed, and with cloak flying free, prancing right on horseback, right hand holding spear; beyond and behind him, mounted soldier prancing right with vexillum held over right shoulderight.
RIC 439 Sestertius Obv: NEROCLAVDCAESARAVGGERPMTRPIMPPP, laureate head left, globe at point of bust
Rev: PACEPRTERRAMARIQPARTAIANVMCLVSIT, S C across field, temple of Janus with latticed window on left, garland hung across closed double doors on right.
RIC 433, Cohen 306 Sestertius Obv: NEROCLAVDCAESARAVGGERPMTRPIMPPP, laureate head left, globe at point of bust.
Rev: No legend; S C across field, triumphal arch surmounted by statue of emperor in quadriga accompanied by Pax and Victory; flanked by two soldiers (torch bearers?), a nude, helmeted statue of Mars in side niche of arch, otherwise decorated with friezes of battle scenes.
Dupondius
RIC 196, Cohen 349 Dupondius Obv: NEROCLAVDCAESARAVGGERPMTRPIMPPP, radiate head right
Rev: VICTORIAAVGVSTI, S C across field, II in exergue, Victory flying left, holding wreath and palm.
RIC 377, BMC 342 Dupondius Obv: NEROCLAVDCAESARAVGGERPM - Radiate head right
Rev: VICTORIAAVGVSTI SC. Lot sold for $51 11/3/01.
RIC 519 Dupondius Obv: IMPNEROCAESARAVGPMAXTRPPP - Laureate head left.
Rev: SECVRITASAVGVSTI S C - Securitas seated right and bare to the waist. Lot sold for $46 1/1/02.
As
RIC 273, BMC 173 As Obv: NEROCLAVDCAESARAVGGERPMTRPIM; Laureate head right, aegis at base.
Rev: Roma seated left, S C at sides, ROMA in exergue.
RIC 306, BMC 227 As Obv: NEROCAESARAVGGERMIMP - Laureate head right
Rev: PACEPRVBIQPARTAIANVMCLVSIT S C - Temple of Janus - Ubique door to the right.
RIC 309, BMC 232 As Obv: NEROCAESARAVGGERMIMP. Head, laureate, right
Rev: PACEPRVBIQPARTAIANVMCLVSIT. S C to left and right of view of front of temple of Janus,
with latticed window to right and garland hung across closed double doors to left.
RIC 312, BMC 241 As Obv: NEROCAESARAVGGERMIMP - Laureate head right.
Rev: No legend; S C - Victory flying left, holding large oval shield. Lot sold for $63 12/30/01.
RIC 526, Cohen 29 As Obv: IMPNEROCAESARAVGPMTRPOTPP, bare head right, globe at point of bust.
Rev: ARAPACIS in exergue, S C across field, frontal view of the Ara Pacis.
RIC 543, Cohen 302, BMC 381 As Obv: IMPNEROCAESARAVGGERMANIC; bare head bust right.
Rev: S C; victory flying left, holding shield iscribed SPQR
RIC 606, Cohen 303 As Obv: IMPNEROCAESARAVGPMAXTRPPP, bare head left, globe at point of bust.
Rev: S C across field, Winged Victory flying left with shield inscribed SPQR.
