Divus Lucius Verus and Marcus Aurelius. 40-as; Divus Lucius Verus and Marcus Aurelius; Dec. 168 AD, As, 9.22g. Obv: DIVVS - VER[VS] Bare head of Lucius Verus r. Rx: M ANTONINVS - AVG TR P XXIII Laureate head of Marcus Aurelius left. Ex Curtis L. Clay Collection; ex CNG E462, 26 Feb. 2020, part lot 744. This is apparently only the second known specimen of this double-headed As of Marcus Aurelius and Divus Lucius Verus, the first having been reported by Vaillant in 1682 and later by Cohen in 1859 and 1883, both citing an example in the Paris collection, though I am unaware of any illustration or recent discussion of this Paris coin. Our new As with these types looks ancient and authentic, though it has a smaller flan (23 mm) and smaller types than normal asses of this period, so was probably not struck at the mint of Rome. A possible explanation: in the first to third centuries AD the Romans struck not only bronze medallions for distribution as New Year's presents on 1 January of each year, but also copper asses, including, as it seems, some or many of the unusual asses showing either the emperor's portrait or one of his reverse types on both sides of the same coin. The date of issue of these New Year's medallions and asses of course depends mainly on the imperial titles that they bear; for a summary of the evidence and arguments see Curtis Clay's review article on Woytek's monograph on the coinage of Trajan, Num. Chronicle 172, 2012, pp. 359-361. Now in December 168 AD, soon after 10 December 168 since coins of his final tribunician year TR P VIIII are quite rare, Lucius Verus died at Altinum near Venice, while on his way from the Danube frontier back to Rome. When the news of Verus' death reached Rome, he was consecrated by the Senate, and the commanders of Verus' troops found that they suddenly needed asses of Divus Verus for distribution on 1 January 169, but lacked the time to order them and have them sent from Rome. So perhaps they had the required asses struck by their own soldiers or by local Italian metalworkers, explaining their small size and somewhat odd appearance.. Fine