Antoninus Pius Sestertius, Rome, AD 145–161, COS IIII Quadriga left RIC 250

Antoninus Pius, Sestertius, bronze, reign 138–161, struck at Rome 145–161, 26.80 g, 32 mm. Obverse: ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P; laureate head right. Reverse: COS IIII; S C in field; the emperor, draped, standing in a quadriga pacing left, extending right hand and holding eagle-tipped sceptre. Struck on a broad flan, centered with full legends and complete reverse scene. Reference: RIC III Antoninus Pius 250. RIC 767a; BMRE 1669; Cohen 320 This issue marks Antoninus Pius’s fourth consulship, attained in AD 145. The depiction of the ruler standing in a quadriga reflects imperial ceremonial, evoking the triumphal and civic processions of Rome that emphasized the authority and continuity of the principate. Coinage of this period illustrates the stability of Pius’s long administration and the focus on public order and traditional institutions in the mid-2nd century.