Egypt. Alexandria. Hadrian, 117-138 AD. Tetradrachm (Billon, 23.41 mm, 13.22 g). Dated Λ ΔEKATOY = year 10 (125 / 126 AD) ΑΥΤ KAI TPAIA AΔPIA CEB Laureate, cuirassed and draped bust of Hadrian right, seen sideways from the back. Rev. L ΔE KATOY ( = year 120) The snakes Agathodaemons with “pshent” crown (left) and Uraeus with “basileon” or Isiac crown (right), both on the exergual line, erect and facing; in the folds of their tails, the first holds a caduceus (symbol of Hermanubis) and the second a sistrum (the emblem of Isis). Vogt I, p. 101. Vogt II, p. 48. BMC 668. Geissen 894-895. Dattari-Savio 7508 (same die). RPC III 5596.45, this specimen. Emmett 804. Staffieri, G. M., Alexandria in Nummis, pp.121-122 and 342-343, Muzzano 2017. Cf. Savio, Tetradrammi alessandrini, pp 77-81. Extremely Fine with high definition of details.

Ex Numismatica Aretusa SA, (Franco Chiesa)1981.

Tetradrachm minted with this reverse only in the tenth year of Hadrian's reign. The imperial portrait is of high artistic quality and certifies the serene majesty of the sovereign. The reverse refers to the Egyptian mythology of the facing pair of snakes: on the left the peaceful male Agazhodaermon sacred to Zeus-Sarapis and on the right the combative Pharaonic female Uraeus sacred to Isis which, together, indicate well-being and political stability, as well as fertility. In this rare example reported only by Dattari-Savio, the tails of the two snakes extend beyond the exergual line, accentuating the perspective and three-dimensionality of the scene.