Sesterzio¹, zecca di Roma, giugno 68 ÷ agosto 68 d. C., RIC I 464 (pag. 254), BMC I 251* (pag. 356), Cohen I 4 (pag. 320), indice di rarità "S"

Descrizione sommaria:
D. SER SVLPI GALBA IMP CAESAR AVG P M TR P². Galba, testa laureata a destra con aegis.
R. S C a sinistra e a destra nel campo³. ADLOCVTIO⁴ in esergo. Galba, in abito militare, stante a destra su una piattaforma, assistito da un pretoriano alle sue spalle e scortato da due littori stanti a destra davanti alla piattaforma e con i fasci sulle spalle, arringa le legioni. Al di sotto della piattaforma, a destra, due legionari elmati, stanti a sinistra, guardano l'imperatore, il primo armato di scudo, il secondo di lancia e scudo. Tra i soldati spuntano la testa e le zampe anteriori di un cavallo che rappresentano la cavalleria; sopra le loro teste, stendardo militare e aquila legionaria.

La ricerca nel web di monete della tipologia di figura ha dato luogo ai seguenti risultati:

1. vcoins GALBA AE sestertius. ADLOCVTIO, Emperor on platform addressing legionaries. Kraay, in 1956, calls this type …the most dramatic ever to be produced by the mint of Rome. Very rare. Ancient Coins - GALBA AE sestertius. ADLOCVTIO, Emperor on platform addressing legionaries. Kraay, in 1956, calls this type "…the most dramatic ever to be produced by the mint of Rome". Very rare. GALBA AE orichalcum sestertius. Struck at Rome mint, December, 68 AD. SER SVLPI GALBA IMP CAESA US$ 650.00 Quotazione: 09/29/22 GALBA AE sestertius. ADLOCVTIO, Emperor on platform addressing legionaries. Kraay, in 1956, calls this type …the most dramatic ever to be produced by the mint of Rome. Very rare. Ancient Coins - GALBA AE sestertius. ADLOCVTIO, Emperor on platform addressing legionaries. Kraay, in 1956, calls this type "…the most dramatic ever to be produced by the mint of Rome". Very rare. GALBA AE orichalcum sestertius. Struck at Rome mint, December, 68 AD. SER SVLPI GALBA IMP CAESAR AVG P M TR P, laureate bust right, drapery and aegis on shoulder. Reverse - ADLOCVTIO in exergue, S - C across field, Galba addressing the legions. Galba, in military dress standing right on platform, attended by officer standing behind him, and guarded by two lictors standing right before the platform, holding fasces over their shoulders. Below platform, on right, two helmeted legionaries standing left, looking up at the emperor, the first holding a shield, the second a spear and a shield. Between the soldiers, the head and forelegs of a horse; above their heads, military standard and legionary eagle. 34mm, 24.0g. Nicer in hand. Remarkably, the figure of the emperor on the platform is clearly identifiable as Galba, based on his large nose, head shape, and stern features. BMC p. 356, (Walters Coll.). Paris 235, pl. XVII (same dies). Cohen 4 (40 Fr.). RIC 464. Kraay 374. From Kraay's 'Officina G', this issue has been called 'one of the finest and most interesting issues of sestertii ever produced by the mint of Rome', and only a handful of dies are known. This ADLOCVTIO type is known from two reverse dies, this type with SC in field and a second with SC in the exergue. Other known examples, ranging in price from $1,700 to a dumbfounding $43,341: http://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=454604.
2. https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=673215 Numismatica Ars Classica NAC AG http://www.arsclassicacoins.com/ Auction 52 361 07.10.2009 42.000CHF. Description Part I The Roman Empire Galba, 68 – 69 Sestertius circa December 68, Æ 27.51g. SER SVLPI GALBA IMP CAESAR AVG P M TR P Laureate bust r., with aegis. Rev. Galba, in military dress, standing r. on podium, accompanied by praetorian prefect behind him, addressing two helmeted soldiers, each with shields and one with spear, a horse facing between them. Before podium, two tunicate cursores, and in background, vexillum, signum and aquila, in exergue, ADLOCVTIO / S C. C 4. BMC –, cf. p. 356 note *. RIC 464. CBN 255 (this obverse die). ACGC 374a and pl. 37 (this coin illustrated). Kent-Hirmer pl. 61, 213. Very rare. A magnificent portrait well struck in high relief and a finely detailed reverse. composition. Tiber tone and surface somewhat porous, otherwise about extremely fine. Ex Sambon-Canessa, 18th November 1907, Martinetti 1661; Lanz 94, 1999, Benz Kaiserzeit I 286 and NAC 45, 2008, Barry Feirstein part IV, 100 sales. From the J. P. Morgan and William James Conte collections. Galba’s brief reign has long been recognised as one of the high points of Roman numismatic art, and this sestertius shows how imaginative and capable the Rome mint engravers could be when they were given the latitude to create a masterpiece. The reverse shows various figures and objects at contrasting angles and on different planes, thus providing the illusion of far greater depth than can literally exist on a piece of this scale. The result is spectacular – as if one is observing an actual congregation. All dimensions are fully realised and the scene creates the illusion of movement or agitation among those gathered to hear Galba speak. In a sense, this sestertius was a precursor to the multi-layered scenes that often occur on Rome mint medallions of the 2nd Century A.D. and beyond. This coin was produced in the seventh and final workshop identified by Kraay in his 1956 study of Galba’s aes, the products of which he described as “…the most dramatic ever to be produced by the mint of Rome.” Kraay’s opinion was based not only upon the new array of elaborate reverse types from this workshop, but also on the imaginative artistry of its engravers. He considered this reverse to be an innovation on imperial coinage because it represented a departure from the “stiff and formal groupings” of the adlocutio sestertii of Caligula and Nero. He further notes: “Although only four men and a horse are shown below the rostrum, the impression of a larger crowd is effectively conveyed by the same device as was used on the panels of the Arch of Titus – the multiplication of fasces and standards, not all of which are connected to the figures shown.”
3. https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=1830376 Gemini, LLC http://www.geminiauction.com/ Auction XI 403 12.01.2014 Description Galba. 68-69 AD. Sestertius, 25.39g. (h). Rome. Obv: SER SVLPI GALBA IMP CAE - SAR AVG P M TR P Bust laureate right with aegis (Medusa head and snakes) on front shoulder. Rx: ADLOCVTIO in exergue, S - C across field, Galba addressing the army. On the left, Galba in military dress standing right on platform, attended by officer standing behind him, and guarded by two lictors standing right before the platform, holding fasces over their shoulders. On right, two helmeted soldiers standing left, looking up at the emperor, the first holding a shield, the second a spear and a shield. Between the soldiers, the head and forelegs of a horse; above their heads, a vexillun, a standard, and a legionary eagle. BMC p. 356, * (Walters Coll.). Paris 235, pl. XVII (same dies). Cohen 4 (40 Fr.). RIC 464. Kraay 374 (dies A 124/ P 188, Paris and 4 other spec.). Dark brown patina in fields, the portrait and the three main figures of the reverse type toned yellow orichalcum. VG/About VF. Ex Knobloch List, March 1965, Stanton Collection, lot 709. From Kraay's 'Officina G', one of the finest and most interesting issues of sestertii ever produced by the mint of Rome, with portraits of superb style and many fascinating, often multifigured reverse types, seven of which were struck from only a single reverse die each and none of them from more than four reverse dies. Our ADLOCVTIO type is known from two reverse dies, ours with S - C in field and a second with S C in exergue below the legend ADLOCVTIO.
4. http://numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.1(2).gal.462?lang=it Descrizione del tipo Arco cronologico: AD 68 - AD 69. Galba 68 n. Chr. Collezione Münzkabinett Berlin Asse 6. Diametro 34. Peso 27.93 Tipo d'oggetto: Moneta. Tecnica di produzione: Coniato. Nominale: Sesterzio. Materiale: Bronzo. Autorità emittente: Galba. Zecca: Roma. Dritto Legenda: SER SVLPI GALBA IMP CAESAR AVG TR P. Tipo: Head of Galba, bare, right. Ritratto: Galba. Rovescio Legenda: ADLOCVTIO S C. Tipo: Galba, in military dress, standing right on platform with officer; two soldiers face him, one carrying shield and standard, the other shield and spear; horse between them; two soldiers behind standing right, carrying vexillum and two spears; aquila in front. Ritratto: Galba.
5. Bibliothèque nationale de France Monnaie. Sestertius, Galba, Rome] Collezione Bibliothèque nationale de France. Peso 25.93g. https://davcoin.com/lot/e-auction-33-lot-6
6. Münzkabinett Berlin Galba 68 n. Chr. Collezione Münzkabinett Berlin Asse 6. Diametro 36. Peso 29.35g.
7. Münzkabinett Berlin Galba 68 n. Chr. Collezione Münzkabinett Berlin. Asse 6. Diametro 36. Peso 28.22.
8. Münzkabinett Online Catalogue https://ikmk.smb.museum/object?lang=en&id=18215158ett Online https://ikmk.smb.museum/object?id=18215158 Münzkabinett Online Catalogue Galba 68 n. Chr. Münzkabinett der Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin Nomisma NDP Obverse SER SVLPI GALBA IMP CAESAR AVG P M TR P. Kopf des Galba mit Lorbeerkranz und Ägis nach r. Reverse [HISPANIA CLVNIA SVL] // S C. Galba sitzt mit ausgestreckter r. Hand nach l. Vor ihm steht eine weibliche Figur (Hispania) nach r. und hält ihm etwas in ihrer r. Hand entgegen. Denomination Sesterz Material Bronze Production struck Weight 23,68g. Diameter 35mm. Die-axis 6h. Publications RIC I² Nr. 472 (datiert Dezember 68 n. Chr.). Web Portals http://numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.1(2).gal.472. Item Object number 18215158. Permalink https://ikmk.smb.museum/object?id=18215158.

Un saluto cordiale.
Giulio De Florio

Note:

(1) Secondo BMC, il sesterzio di Galba si presenta con le seguenti caratteristiche fisiche: peso (26,34g, media su 108 esemplari). Raccolgo in tabella le caratteristiche fisiche dei sesterzi della tipologia di figura tratte dai link di cui sopra: