Marcus Aurelius, as Caesar, 139-161. Dupondius (Orichalcum, 26 mm, 12.92 g, 12 h), Rome, 159-160. AVRELIVS CAESAR AVG PII F Bare head of Marcus Aurelius to right. Rev. TR POT XIIII COS II • / S - C Mars advancing right, holding spear in his right hand and trophy over his left shoulder. BMC 2106. Cohen 759. RIC 1354A(a). An exceptional piece, sharply struck and with a splendid, remarkably detailed portrait. Somewhat smoothed, otherwise, good extremely fine.

When Hadrian selected Antoninus Pius as his successor in 138, following the death of Aelius Caesar, it was on the express condition that Antoninus, in turn, adopt both Lucius Verus - Aelius' son - and Marcus Aurelius, Aelius’ prospective son-in-law, as his heirs. Antoninus fulfilled Hadrian’s wishes, though only Aurelius was made Caesar in 139, likely because Verus was still a child at the time. Furthermore, in 145, the betrothal between Verus and Faustina the Younger, Antoninus’ daughter, was dissolved, and she instead married Aurelius - a happy union, despite later rumors of Faustina’s infidelity. Over the years, the bond between adoptive father and son only deepened. According to the Historia Augusta (7.3), Aurelius left Antoninus’ side for only two nights in twenty-three years. Their personalities appear to have complemented each other well; in his Meditations (1.16), Aurelius praises Antoninus for his mild and just character - traits Aurelius himself would come to embody as a Stoic philosopher-emperor. When Antoninus died in 161, the succession proceeded smoothly. To his credit, Aurelius did not sideline Verus, but instead elevated him as co-emperor in full accordance with Hadrian’s succession plan drawn up more than two decades earlier.