Marcus Aurelius AE Sestertius Rome AD 176 Aequitas RIC III 1171

Marcus Aurelius, Sestertius, bronze; reign AD 161–180, struck at Rome AD 176; 24.80 g; 31 mm. Laureate bust right; legend M ANTONINVS AVG GERM SARMATICVS. Reverse with Aequitas standing left holding scales and cornucopiae; legend TR P XXX IMP VIII COS III; S C in field. Centered strike on a broad flan with complete legends and slight peripheral softness. Cited: RIC III 1171. Struck during Marcus Aurelius’s Danubian war coinage, this sestertius records the imperial victories through the titles GERM and SARMATICVS, while TR P XXX fixes the date to his 30th tribunician year (AD 176) and IMP VIII notes the eighth acclamation; COS III recalls his third consulship (AD 171). The reverse type Aequitas refers to equitable measurement and fiscal administration, and the S C indicates senatorial authority over the bronze issues of the Rome mint. Tooling on obverse and reverse.