Lot 102
Rome. Nerva, 96-98 AD. AE Sestertius, Rome mint, struck c. 97 AD. Laureate head of Nerva right. Reverse: Two mules grazing in opposite directions; behind, pole, harness, and just visible wheels of upturned cart; VEHICVLATIONE ITALIAE REMISSA, in exergue, SC. RIC 93; BMCRE 19; C. 143; Vagi 1217. Finely centered, superior strike on superb surfaces and metal. A truly exceptional specimen, both in art and preservation, of this historically significant issue. Extremely rare. NGC graded About Uncirculated.
This large brass commemorates the assumption by the government of the costs for the conveyance of letters and officials from place to place. In ancient times, information traveled much more slowly than today's system of zeroes and ones; as always, knowledge was king. There was established a complex network of routes; the cost had been paid by city taxes. Nerva abolished this particular taxation and took over the maintenance of the imperial post. While Nerva reigned for only a little more than one year, his wise and just rule accomplished much for the average Roman and began an eighty-year period of the adoptive and Antonine emperors. During these happier times, there was general prosperity and an absence of civil wars. Successive emperors were early appointed and trained to rule well.
Estimated Value $15,000 - 18,000.
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| Realized $23,000 |
