Aureus - Nero AVGVSTVS AVGVSTA

This aureus belongs to the post-Fire reconstruction period, struck in the years immediately following the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD — an event Nero exploited to begin clearing land for the Domus Aurea. To fund rebuilding and his own ambitions, Nero debased the aureus in 64 AD, reducing its weight from roughly 7.7g to approximately 7.2g while simultaneously lowering the silver content of the denarius. It was the first significant debasement of Roman gold coinage since Augustus established the standard a century earlier.

The AVGVSTA reverse type ties this issue to Poppaea, whom Nero married in 62 AD after years of political maneuvering. She died in 65 AD, possibly from a kick delivered by Nero himself.