Nerva, 96-98. Dupondius (Orichalcum, 27 mm, 12.19 g, 6 h), Rome, 1-27 January 98. IMP NERVA CAES AVG GERM P M TR P II Radiate head of Nerva to right. Rev. IMP II COS IIII P P / S - C Fortuna standing front, head to left, holding rudder in her right hand and cornucopiae in her left. BMC 145. CBN -. Cohen -. RIC -, cf. 105 (sestertius and as). Very rare. An exceptional piece with a chestnut brown patina and a spectacular portrait boldly struck in high relief, surely one of the finest known examples. Somewhat smoothed, otherwise, good extremely fine.

When Marcus Cocceius Nerva ascended the throne following Domitian’s assassination in 96, he was a most unlikely candidate. Already in his sixties and without an heir, Nerva had spent much of his career in the background of imperial politics. He had been part of Nero’s inner circle and later served as an advisor to the Flavians, but had never played a prominent public role. It may have been precisely this discreet, unassuming presence that led the Senate to proclaim him emperor - a deliberate move away from the authoritarian rule of Domitian. Almost immediately, however, Nerva faced resistance from the army, as Domitian had been popular among the troops. The crisis was defused only when Nerva adopted the respected general Trajan as his heir in 97 - a decision that would become his most consequential and enduring political act, laying the foundation for the golden age of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty. Nerva died on 27 January 98, after suffering a stroke during a private audience on 1 January, ending a brief reign of just sixteen months. It was during this final month, in January 98, that the present coin was issued.