ROMAN IMPERIAL COINS, Didius Julianus (193), Aureus, Rome, 193, IMP CAES M DID SEVER IVLIAN AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right, rev. CONCORD MILIT, Concordia standing front, head left, holding legionary eagle and standard, 6.66g/6h (RIC 1; BMC 1; Calicó 2393; C –). Extremely fine with brilliant fields, very rare
£50,000-60,000

Provenance: Bt Spink 1987.

It is remarkable how quickly the mint of Rome could produce massive new issues. This may have been the intention shortly after 28 March 193 when the father-in-law of Pertinax, Didius Julianus, outbid Flavius Sulpicianus for the nomination as emperor at an auction in the prætorian camp, by offering to pay 25,000 sestertii to each prætorian. The cohors prætorium by this time was composed of sixteen cohorts of 1,000 men, which meant that Didius had to come up with 40 million sestertii, the equivalent of 10 million denarii or 400,000 aurei, if he wanted to remain emperor and keep to the invocation of the above coin, concord with the military