Sestertius - Nero ADLOCVT COH S C

This sestertius belongs to the extended ADLOCVT COH type struck under Nero between 62 and 68 AD, a period that saw the emperor consolidate his relationship with the Praetorian Guard following the death of Burrus and the dismissal of Seneca. The address to the cohorts — the adlocutio — was a calculated piece of military theater, the emperor visibly reaffirming loyalty with an army that had made his succession possible and could equally unmake him.

Orichalcum sestertii of this period are notoriously prone to patchy strike quality due to the alloy's behavior under the dies, and the ADLOCVT COH type is no exception.