Aureus - Nero PONTIF MAX TR P VIIII COS IIII P P EX S C, Virtus

Nero's "EX S C" aurei remain poorly understood. The abbreviation — indicating senatorial authority — is unusual on gold coinage, where the emperor held sole mint prerogative without constitutional need for senate approval. Scholars have debated whether it signals a genuine political gesture toward the senate early in Nero's reign or simply mimics a formula borrowed from bronze issues. The VIIII tribunician iteration dates this precisely to 62–63 AD, just as Nero's relationship with the senate was beginning its terminal deterioration following the death of Burrus and the dismissal of Seneca.