Antoninus Pius, 138-161. As (Copper, 25 mm, 12.12 g, 5 h), Rome, 147. ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P COS IIII Laureate head of Antoninus Pius to right. Rev. S P Q R / OPTIMO / PRINCIPI / S•C in four lines within laurel wreath. BMC 1762. Cohen 791. RIC 827a. Somewhat smoothed, otherwise, very fine.


Apostolo Zeno (1668-1750) was a Venetian librettist and humanist who worked as poet laureate in Vienna in 1715-1729, where he also curated the imperial coin collection of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI (1685-1740). His collection was preserved for more than two-hundred years, until eventually being sold by Dorotheum in 1955, thus forming one of the oldest and most celebrated pedigrees in ancient numismatics.