ALMOST EMPERORS: CAESARS WHO DIDN'T MAKE IT

This article deals with three men that, while seemingly destined to become the emperor of ancient Rome–indeed, they held the title of Caesar, or second-in-command–ultimately failed, for one reason or another, to ascend the throne.

Lucius Aelius Caesar (101-138)

The first person to fit into our category of almost emperor was a man named Lucius Ceionius Commodus, which was changed to Lucius Aelius Caesar after his adoption by the emperor Hadrian.

Figures 1, 2, and 3 show an aureus, a denarius, and a sestertius of Aelius. The aureus is very expensive since they were minted for only about a year and are rare. The denarius is priced high, but this is due to its excellent condition, however, a denarius of VF condition can be purchased at a reasonable cost. Like the denarius, the sestertius is expensive because of the EF condition, and, as a rule, this denomination can be somewhat costly in VF or higher condition. The quinarii are very rare, and the asses and dupondii are pretty much indistinguishable from each other and like the sestertius in pricing.

Figure 1: Aelius, as Caesar, 136-138 CE. AV Aureus. Rome mint. Struck under Hadrian, 137 CE. L AELIVS CAESAR, bare head left / TRIB POT COS II, CONCORD in exergue, Concordia seated left, feet on footstool, holding patera in extended right hand, leaning left arm on cornucopia set on seat. 18mm, 7.26 g., RIC II 443c (Hadrian). (Triton XIX, Lot 545, $15,000, 1/4/16).

To read the complete article, see:
Almost Emperors: Three Caesars Who Didn't Quite Make It and Their Coins (https://coinweek.com/ancient-coins/almost-emperors-three-caesars-who-didnt-quite-make-it-and-their-coins/)

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