Claudius, 41-54. Aureus (Gold, 20 mm, 7.82 g, 7 h), Lugdunum, 41-42. TI CLAVD•CAESAR•AVG•P•M•TR•P• Head of Claudius to right, wearing oak wreath. Rev. PRAETOR RECEPT Claudius, bare-headed and togate, standing right, clasping right hands with a Praetorian signifer, wearing lion skin and a round shield slung around his neck, standing left, holding signum in his left hand. BMC 8. Calicó 374a. CBN 24. Cohen 77. RIC 11. An attractive example of this rare and historically interesting issue. Minor marks and with light scratches and scrapes, otherwise, very fine.

Claudius, the last male member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, was elevated to the imperial throne by the Praetorian Guard following the assassination of his predecessor, Gaius (Caligula). According to Suetonius, he was discovered by a guardsman named Gratus, cowering behind a curtain in the palace, terrified he would be the next to die. To his surprise, however, rather than being executed, he was hailed emperor. In gratitude for both his life and his unexpected elevation, Claudius awarded a generous donative of 1,500 aurei to each Praetorian guardsman and issued several reverse types commemorating the event. One features the Praetorian Camp with the legend IMPER RECEPT ('the emperor received'; RIC I 24 and 26 for the aureus and denarius, respectively). The other - seen here - depicts Claudius clasping the hand of a Praetorian signifer, perhaps even Gratus himself, accompanied by the legend PRAETOR RECEPT ('received by the Praetorians'; RIC I 11 and 12 for the aureus and denarius, respectively). We would also note that a denarius of this type is included in our current sale (see Lot 419 below) - an excellent opportunity for collectors seeking to acquire both denominations