Hadrian AE Semis, Rome AD 128-129, COS III, Eagle between standards RIC 976

Hadrian, semis, bronze; reign AD 117–138; struck AD 128–129; 3.46 g; 17 mm. Rome mint. Obverse: HADRIANVS AVGVSTVS P P, laureate bust right. Reverse: COS III; eagle standing facing, head left, between two legionary standards; S C in field. Struck at Rome during the COS III bronze series under senatorial authority, on a compact flan typical of the denomination. Reference: RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) 976.

This issue belongs to the period immediately after Hadrian accepted the title Pater Patriae in AD 128, signaled by P P on the obverse. The reverse legend COS III reflects his third consulship, and the aquila with flanking standards is a standard emblem of the Roman legions and Jupiter, underscoring imperial military authority. The semis was a small bronze used for everyday transactions, produced only intermittently in the second century, making Hadrianic examples a defined and datable component of Rome’s base-metal currency system.