Like people, no two ancient coins are exactly alike. Struck by hand, touched by the passage of time, surviving by chance, every ancient coin has a unique character that sets it apart from all others. This silver token portrays Elagabalus, one of the most unusual and surprising of all roman rulers. An individual of unique gifts and talents, he scandalized the roman world with his excesses. To wear this coin in its radiant golden setting is to connect ourselves in an intimate way with that vanished world, and with the lives of the men and women who gave it meaning.