ROMAN. IONIA, Smyrna. Britannicus. A.D. 41-55. Bronze (4.18g). Philistos and Eikadios, magistrates. Bareheaded and draped bust right / Nike standing right, holding trophy over shoulder. Klose type XXXI; RPC I 2476 (Nero). gVF. Dark green-brown patina. Attractive for the issue. This is a genuinely intriguing type, RPC records only 92 examples. Even the portrait is debated; Klose identified the head as Britannicus, while the RPC editors argue it is Nero, and either interpretation is believable. If it is Britannicus, the backstory is dramatic: he was the son of Claudius and Messalina, born about A.D. 41-42, and in A.D. 55 he was poisoned as Agrippina the Younger cleared the way for Nero's rule. For the type see; CNG 490, lot 82, hammered US$1,400. (P)

Estimate: AUD 250