Ancient & Islamic Coins

Roman Imperial Coinage, Nerva, Sestertius, Rome, 97, imp nerva caes acg p m tr p cos iii p p, laureate bust right, rev. vehicvlatione italiae remissa, two mules grazing, one right, one left, behind them a high-wheeled cart, with pole and harness upturned, 25.38g (RIC 93; BMCRE 119). Very fine with attractive dark patina, rare £400-£600

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Antony Scammell Collection of Roman Coins.

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This coin celebrates Nerva’s remission of the vehiculatio, or imperial courier service, in Italy. The programme required local municipalities across the empire to supply and house travelling imperial agents and military officials. However, confusion about the amount of aid that local people were obliged to provide left the system open to abuse by corrupt officials. Nerva’s decision to remove this burden from the Italian communities is otherwise unrecorded in the historical sources and these coins are the only surviving record of this domestic policy

Withdrawn