M COMMODVS ANTONINVS AVG, laureate head right / TR P VI IMP IIII COS III P P S C, Commodus driving a quadriga left. 26mm, 9.25 grams. Rome mint. RIC 319a.

Ex-Dr. Busso Peus, Auction 420, lot 5361; Ex-Dr. Neussel collection #863. 

Rare type.

Commodus was a Roman emperor who ruled from 180 to 192 CE, succeeding his father, the philosopher-emperor Marcus Aurelius. Unlike his father, Commodus was known for vanity, cruelty, and erratic behavior, preferring the pleasures of gladiatorial combat and self-glorification over governance. He fancied himself a living incarnation of Hercules, renaming Rome “Colonia Commodiana” and participating in staged arena fights. His neglect and corruption destabilized the empire, leading to economic decline and political chaos. Eventually, he was assassinated in a palace conspiracy, marking the end of the Antonine dynasty and the beginning of a period of turmoil known as the Year of the Five Emperors.