$137.50
Apr-19-00
Aelius, Caesar. 137 AD. AR Denarius (3.28 gm). Bare head right /
     Concordia seated left, holding patera and resting left elbow on
     cornucopiae. RIC II 436 (Hadrian); RSC 1. Near VF. 720119.

     Lucius Ceionius Commodus, a sleek Senator from a distinguished
     Roman family, was plucked from obscurity by Hadrian in 136 and
     named as his chosen successor, with the adoptive name Lucius
     Aelius Caesar. The adoption was marked by the appropriate games
     and ceremonies, but it soon became evident the young heir was
     consumptive, leading Hadrian to remark that he'd blown several
     million sesterces to no purpose. A stint as governor of Pannonia
     did Aelius no good, the wet, frigid climate worsening his
     condition. In January 138, Aelius died. Knowing his time was
     short, Hadrian adopted a middle-aged Senator, Antoninus Pius, as
     his successor, and in turn made Antoninus adopt Aelius Caesar's
     son Lucius Verus and another distant kinsman, young Annius Verus
     (later famous as the "philosopher emperor" Marcus Aurelius) as
     his eventual successors. This Aelius Caesar's son eventually won
     the throne he never attained himself.