Scarce Sestertius NERO CLAUDIUS DRUSUS THE ELDER Start Price USD 99.99 Current Price USD 99.99 Time Left - Bid Count 3 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Wednesday, September 03, 2008 End Time Wednesday, September 10, 2008 Location Albuquerque, New Mexico See more about 'Scarce Sestertius NERO CLAUDIUS DRUSUS THE ELDER' Description SCARCE JULIO-CLAUDIANS BLOWOUT #3:  NERO CLAUDIUS DRUSUSTHE ELDER,Father of Germanicus and Roman Emperor Claudius  Orichalcum Sestertius, Struck Under Claudius, ex-Herakles Numismatics RIC 93 or Similar Issue, Moderately Scarce  41-54 AD About the History                   About the Coin About Combined Shipping            About Insured Shipping About International Shipping About the Photos: This is an okay photo set, i.e. reasonably accurate for detail, but it's not at all accurate for tone, especially with those almost non-existent reddish patches; photo artefacts, basically. This rather low-grade (but attractive) coin looks quite a few little bits better in hand; see "About the Coin" below for more information. About the History: The appearance of this coin signifies the third and last chapter of "Programs! Getcha programs! Can't tell your Julio-Claudian Drusii without a program!"  This Drusus is Nero Claudius Drusus the Elder, father of the emperor Claudius and his renowned brother Germanicus, and brother of the emperor Tiberius. (This means he was also grandfather to Caligula, and great-grandfather to Nero, the last emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. This character was the oldest of the three men known to us today as "Drusus," and also the least-known, both in life and death. For starters, there's the question of "who was Drusus the Elder's real father?" When Augustus went va-va-voom at the first sight of Livia, we are told, the recently divorced emperor-to-be was all of about 25 years old, and there was just one little inconvenience: Livia was already married, and also pregnant with her second son. That second son would be named Nero Claudius Drusus, and rumors would persist that he was really Octavian/Augustus' son all along, but most historians discount that possibility. Well, for a man as powerful as Octavian/Augustus, neither Livia's marriage nor parenthoods past and future would be much of an inconvenience. Any man ready to rule over a vast empire can't have considered stepsons much of an impediment-- especially when his descendants through his daughter Julia... kept... dying... so... suddenly and mysteriously. Well, if you're familiar with "I, Claudius," book or miniseries, you already know where we're going with this; you know Robert Graves' speculations on the matter. He fictionally accuses Livia of secretly murdering anybody who might stand between her precious older son Tiberius, and the inheritance and wielding of absolute power. Why, to hear Graves tell it, she even had her doctors poison her younger son Drusus... ... And it's at that point we would do best to balk at the whole theory. By the year9 BC, when Drusus died at around age 29, he was still young and vigorous, and not at all the stay-at-home type. As a go-get-'em general, he repeatedly earned honors in the field, including the right to bestow the agnomen "Germanicus" on his descendants. But, but... Then he fell off a horse, just when things were going well. Happened all the time in those days. Not really all that mysterious a death after all, to fall from a horse during military routines of one kind or another, and to be injured so badly one never really recovered, and to suddenly take a turn for the worse. So, there's where Graves' hypothesis becomes most untenable, which he would no doubt gleefully acknowledge-- and then pat his reader on the back, saying "dear boy, you do know this is fiction I wrote, don't you?" One often-overlooked fact that makes the hypothesis especially shaky is, apparently the brothers Tiberius and Drusus the Elder got along like, well, brothers. And considering how shaky a thing matters of life and death were, in those times, it's not very plausible that Livia, even if she were as murderous as Graves' fictional version of her, would want Drusus done away with; "an heir and a spare," as the saying goes. Drusus was her spare. So, surely Livia cannot have had anything to do with the untimely death of her own son. Surely she didn't... But, to reverse the last line of "The Sun Also Rises," isn't it ugly to think so? In a fun way, that is. The real truth about Drusus' passing references a far more common and mundane bit of phrasing: only the good die young. Or so they say. About the Coin: The photos do an okay job of showing off the bad features of the coin, not so good at showing off the good features. As you can see, this is a very worn specimen. It's just not quite as worn as it looks in the photos. Let's start with the reverse: let's face it, nobody would consider buying this coin for its reverse. It's almost worn down to blank metal. You can see most of the letters of CAESAR, and the rest of the reverse legends are almost illegible. The seated figure of emperor Claudius, Drusus' son, in his curule chair, is a bare outline, as are what remains of the weapons at his feet. So... the reverse is there, let's say. Not enough for us to know exactly which RIC number it belongs to: Herakles Numismatics specified it as "RIC 127, 93." One or the other of these, apparently. The obverse, fortunately, is a much nicer story, especially as far as detail is concerned. Though almost all the finer details of the Drusus portrait are long since worn away, the details that remain are vivid enough to form an attractive portrait of the handsome young doomed man. There are also enough letters left of DRVSVS, and other parts of the obverse legends, that along with the portrait details that remain, there can be no doubt as to whose portrait it is. For all its extensive circulation wear, this specimen of the "father commemoratives" of Claudius has a lot going for it. Considering how scarce the portrait coins of Drusus the Elder are, and considering the fine Herakles Numismatics pedigree, that ought to be noteworthy to some Ebayers. In the interest of accuracy, I should also note a defect of this coin that doesn't really show up in the photos: light pitting, like little grains of fine sand, across much of the obverse. Look at the coin from some angles, and the miniscule little pits show up clearly. Look at it from a different angle, and they disappear. Now, as for tone, the photos aren't accurate at all. The actual tone of this coin is a fairly even dark olive green, with a few little bits of darker splotchiness in the patina that look like patches of red corrosion in the obverse photo, but just look like vaguely reddish dark olive-green on the coin itself. An attractive enough patina, that is to say, but not one that can be photographed by me, with my mediocre photo skills, and still show detail. So there you have it: a nice-enough portrait of a hard-to-find historical figure that will be a great choice for some collectors, especially those who don't necessarily want to pay a lot. If I had to give this one a grade, I suppose I'd call it Good at best. Maybe G+ if in a generous mood. Still, I really like this coin, and have enjoyed having it in my personal collection for these several years. At 36 mm.,almost exactly twice the diameter of a US dime, not quite 1 and 1/2 times the diameter of a US quarter; this is a big, thick heavy chunk of ancient pocket change. I paid a rather high price for this coin several years ago, when coins of this Drusus were scarcer than hen's teeth on Ebay-- one that many people would consider too high, even considering its scarcity and great pedigree-- and I wouldn't necessarily disagree, so I've decided, however reluctantly, to start it at a steep discount below what it cost me. COMBINED SHIPPING:  I am always willing to combine shipping for buyers of multiple auction lots. In general, the cost of shipping will always be the actual shipping cost plus about $1.25 for handling, regardless of how many items you order. ABOUT INSURANCE:  I've given up on Ebay's Shipping Calculator, and gone to a simpler system of stated prices. Insured shipping is included in the $3.95 shipping cost for US shipments, and the $4.50 to many countries, but not all. The countries to which I can ship at that price are listed below, under "About International Shipping." I strongly recommend insured shipping for all buyers, for everything you buy on the net, because items can and do get lost in the mail, far more often than most people think. In some cases, if I know and trust the buyer and the final value of a shipment is low enough, I may choose (solely at my discretion) to waive the insurance cost to selected buyers, if they agree that the buyer will be solely responsible for lost or damaged uninsured shipments. INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING: I am willing to ship to any country to which it is legal for me to ship. Some countries have regulations prohibiting US sellers from shipping any coins, or coins of a certain value, or a certain type. Other countries have restrictions requiring insured shipping, especially for items containing silver or gold. It is the buyer's responsibility to know whether a transaction is legal before bidding. In addition to Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Japan, as listed above, I can ship for $4.50 per shipment to the following countries (provided the shipment is legal for First Class International mail:) Argentina, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Bermuda, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Holland, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Samoa, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Uruguay These are the countries covered by the third-party insurer I use. If you'd like to bid on my items and you are not in the USA or one of the countries mentioned above, please e-mail me before the auction ends, and I can let you know what shipping charges will be to your country. Please do NOT bid on any of my items unless you are reasonably sure the shipment to the address you provide will be legal. More information about international shipping from the US can be found at usps.com.; however, as far as many countries are concerned, ancient and antique coins are considered tokens, because they're no longer legal tender, so what you read on the USPS website may be misleading. Check with your country's customs service if in doubt, please, or ask me about it before bidding. Please be aware that under no circumstances will I ever provide false information on a customs form. Check out my other items! Paypal is my preferred payment method.Sign up for PayPal; the fast, easy, and secure way to pay online. Powered by eBay Turbo ListerThe free listing tool. List your items fast and easy and manage your active items. Place a Bid!