Sabina Sestertius, RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 2585

Monetary Context and Denominational Function

The sestertius served as the flagship brass denomination within the reformed monetary system established under Augustus and maintained through the Antonine era. Valued at four asses or one quarter of a silver denarius, the sestertius functioned as the premier large-format base metal coin across Italy and the western Roman provinces. It bridged the gap between small bronze fractional change used in market retail and precious metal issues reserved for military pay, state tributes, and long-distance trade. Under Hadrian, the Roman monetary system enjoyed considerable fiscal stability, with the sestertius serving both as a primary unit of commercial accounting and as a major vehicle for official state messaging. Struck in orichalcum, a golden-hued copper-zinc brass alloy, the sestertius provided a wide flan that offered Roman die engravers an expansive surface for intricate imperial portraiture and detailed allegorical reverse compositions. Coins struck in the name of imperial women, such as this late sestertius for Empress Sabina, reinforced the legitimacy of the dynasty and emphasized civic stability to civilian populations who handled these coins continuously in daily commerce.

Mint Organization and Production Standards

Production of this sestertius was concentrated exclusively at the principal imperial mint in Rome. During the late reign of Hadrian, the Rome mint operated with highly organized officinae (workshops) responsible for preparing flans, cutting dies, and executing strikes under the technical supervision of imperial procurators. Flans for orichalcum sestertii were cast individually or in open molds before being adjusted, cleaned, and hot-struck between heavy iron or bronze dies. The standard theoretical weight for sestertii in this period centered around 24 to 28 grams, with diameters typically spanning 31 to 34 millimeters, though individual specimens routinely fluctuated due to ancient minting tolerances and subsequent wear. The yellow brass appearance of fresh orichalcum set the denomination apart visually from reddish pure-copper asses and dupondii. Die alignment for Rome during this epoch was predominantly regularized to either an upright (twelve o'clock) or inverted (six o'clock) orientation, reflecting standardized workshop discipline in the final years of Hadrianic coin manufacturing.

Obverse Iconography and Imperial Portraiture

The obverse of type 2585 displays a draped bust of Empress Sabina facing right. Her hair is coiffed in the elaborate court style characteristic of her later portrait series, featuring a raised diadem or stephane set above carefully arranged front waves, with the remainder of the hair brought backward and descending in a long plait or queue down the nape of the neck. This late hairstyle contrasts sharply with earlier Hadrianic portraits where her hair was worn piled atop the head in a high diademed crest. The drapery is delicately modeled around the shoulders and neckline, presenting the Augusta as an exemplar of traditional Roman modesty and regal elegance. The portrait reflects the idealized classicizing style fostered by Hadrian's artistic programs, emphasizing quiet dignity and poise while retaining recognizable individual facial features, including a straight profile and refined chin.

Reverse Allegory and Imperial Symbolism

The reverse displays Concordia, the divine personification of harmony, mutual agreement, and matrimonial fidelity. She stands turned to the left, gracefully resting her left elbow against a slender architectural column, a pose evoking enduring stability and support. In her outstretched right hand, Concordia holds a patera, a shallow libation bowl used in sacred offerings, signaling piety and religious invocation. In her left arm, she cradles a cornucopia, often rendered as a double cornucopia, overflowing with fruits and grains to symbolize peace-born abundance and state prosperity. Flanking the lower fields is the senatorial mark S C (Senatus Consulto), affirming that the bronze issue was struck by decree of the Roman Senate in formal cooperation with the imperial princeps. The visual combination of the sacrificial patera, the horn of plenty, and the supporting column presented imperial marriage and political consensus as the twin pillars sustaining the Roman world.

Epigraphic Formulations and Legends

The obverse inscription reads SABINA AVGVSTA HADRIANI AVG P P, running clockwise along the outer border. This legend translates to 'Sabina Augusta, [wife] of Hadrian Augustus, Father of the Fatherland.' The explicit reference to Hadrian alongside his supreme civic title Pater Patriae is a distinctive feature of Sabina's final lifetime and transitional issues, cementing her public identity and status through her husband's constitutional authority. The reverse inscription reads CONCORDIA AVG, abbreviating Concordia Augusti or Concordia Augustorum, which designates the Harmony of the Emperor or Imperial House. In the lower left and right fields, the letters S and C denote Senatus Consulto, the traditional stamp of senatorial sanction on base-metal currency. The lettering exhibits the clean, classical Roman monumental capitals that characterized official epigraphy under Hadrian, cut with uniform letter height and well-balanced spacing across the dies.

Typology and Chronological Classification

In the updated corpus of Roman Imperial Coinage, RIC II, Part 3 (second edition), this issue is cataloged as Hadrian 2585. It falls into the terminal emission of Sabina's coinage, dated between AD 136 and AD 138. Sabina died late in AD 136 or early in AD 137, after which she was deified by Hadrian as Diva Sabina. The obverse legend mentioning HADRIANI AVG P P belongs to the final lifetime series, struck either shortly before her death or during the immediate transitional administrative period prior to the inauguration of her posthumous consecratio coinage. Earlier issues for Sabina in the AD 128 to 135 period carried simpler legends such as SABINA AVGVSTA without the explicit patronymic or marital genitive. The type with Concordia leaning on a column was produced alongside related sestertius reverses depicting Vesta, Pietas, and Ceres, forming a coherent thematic suite celebrating female imperial virtues at the close of Hadrian's reign.

Circulation Patterns and Archaeological Recovery

Sestertii of the Hadrianic period circulated widely throughout the western territories of the Roman Empire, where base-metal monetization was deeply integrated into civilian and military markets. Archaeological findspots in Italy, Gaul, the Rhineland, and Britain demonstrate that orichalcum sestertii often remained in active circulation for several decades after their initial minting, frequently continuing to change hands through the Antonine and Severan eras. Due to this extended circulation lifespan, surviving specimens of RIC 2585 frequently exhibit moderate to heavy surface wear, softening the fine details of Sabina's queue and the delicate attributes of Concordia. Hoard evidence indicates that sestertii were routinely hoarded alongside silver denarii during times of crisis or monetary retrenchment, testifying to their significant intrinsic purchasing power as the highest valued base-metal coin in the imperial economy.

References

1. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume II, Part 3: From Hadrian to Antoninus Pius (AD 117-138), Hadrian. Type 2585
2. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume III: Nerva to Hadrian. Hadrian and Sabina Sestertii
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume II: Vespasian to Hadrian. pp. 385-390
4. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 2585. ric.2_3(2).hdn.2585