Lot 41
Claudius (AD 41-54) AR Denarius, Rome, AD 51-52, 3.62g.
Auction: 23 November 2026, 10:30 GMT
Description
TI CLAV[D CAESAR AVG] P M TR P X P P IMP XVIII, laureate head of Claudius right. Rev. [PACI] AVGVSTAE, Pax-Nemesis advancing right, holding caduceus pointing at a serpent, right. (RIC 62; RSC 66a). Extremely Fine. An exceptional portrait.
The goddess Nemesis represented divine retribution and just fortune, and, according to the poet Mesomedes, was the daughter of Justitia. She was often invoked before a military campaign where it was customary to offer a sword in her honour. Her appearance on imperial coins is uncommon, mainly occurring under Claudius and Hadrian. She is normally, but not always, depicted winged, as here, and often pulls a fold of drapery from her neck so that she can spit into her bosom (Meleager Anthologia Graeca XII.229).
