Claudius I (AD 41-54). AV aureus (19mm, 7.80 gm, 10h). NGC AU 5/5 - 3/5, scuff. Rome and Lugdunum, AD 43-44. TI•CLAVD•CAESAR•AVG•P•M•T•R•P•III, laureate head of Claudius I right / IMPER RECEPT, praetorian camp: five buildings between two towers, within rampart with two archway openings and inscription; large temple-like building in center, with pediment and acroterium, soldier facing within temple, head left, spear in right hand, aquila to left. Calicó 360 (same rev. die). RIC I 19. Extremely rare and the only example from this year found in sales archives, this coin is one of the finest specimens from the popular Praetorian Camp series. An incredible specimen with its creative rendering of the architectural features on shimmering, toned surfaces. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica, Auction 138 (18 May 2023), lot 644. In the tumultuous corridors of Roman power, where ambition often brewed treachery, one man stood apart, both an unlikely heir and a shrewd ruler: Claudius, fourth in line to the imperial throne. Born with physical impairments that rendered him an outsider in the cutthroat world of Roman politics, Claudius found an unexpected path to power in the wake of emperor Caligula's bloody demise in AD 41. Cowering in fear in the imperial palace and assuming that he was to be their next victim, Claudius was in shock when the imperial henchmen declared him to be Caligula's successor. He had in fact been the last sole surviving male heir to the Julio-Claudian dynasty. The elite Praetorian Guard gave him sanctuary behind the walls of their fort in Rome, the Castra Praetoria. Emperor Claudius' astute recognition of the Praetorians' pivotal role in his ascent was boldly etched onto the coins of his realm. With the Praetorians as his steadfast sentinels (a bond of loyalty cemented by copious gifts of money), Claudius guided Rome through an era marked by conquest and consolidation. The reverse of this spectacular aureus depicts the Praetorian camp and the legend "IMPER RECEPT" -- "The Emperor Received," a direct reference to the episode at the aftermath of Caligula's assassination. HID09801242017 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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