27
3036
C. Postumius At.? or Ta.? Silver Denarius (3.8 g), 73 BC.
Rome.
Draped bust of Diana right, hair tied into knot at back of head, bow and
quiver at shoulder.
Reverse:
C POSTVMI / (TA) or (AT), hound run-
ning right; below, spear. Crawford 394/1a; Sydenham 785; Postumia 9.
Well struck and nicely centered, all toned.
Extremely Fine.
It is possible that the monogram found in the exergue of the re-
verse on this coin may resolve as Tatius. On coins of both L. Titu-
rius Sabinus and T. Vettius Sabinus the same monogram oc-
curs in conjunction with the head of the Sabine king, Tatius,
but the surname TA or AT is otherwise unknown for the Postumia
gens. It is possible that the Postumii, undoubtedly one of Rome’s
most ancient families, claimed descent from the Sabine king.
Estimated Value ...................................................................... $700 - 800
Ex Goldberg 59 (1-2 June 2010), 2319; Frederick H. Rindge Collection, pt.
I (Malter XXIX, 22 March 1985), 489.
3037
Q. Fufius Calenus and M. Cordus. Silver
Denarius (3.80 g), 68 BC.
Rome. HO be-
hind, VI(RT) before, KALENI below, con-
joined heads of Honos, laureate, and Vir-
tus, wearing crested helmet, right.
Reverse:
CORDI in exergue (ITAL) to left, RO to
right, Italia standing right, holding cornu-
copiae, clasping hands with Roma standing
left, foot on globe, holding scepter; in left
field, winged caduceus. Crawford 403/1;
Sydenham 797; Fufia 1. Well struck with
the obverse in high relief. A lustrous exam-
ple and delicately toned.
Mint State.
Most interpretations of the types on this
coin relate the obverse depiction of Honos
and Virtus with the reverse design showing
reconciliation between Rome and Italy.
Grueber even goes as far as to place this
reconciliation under the tutelage of the
gods Honos and Virtus, which of course on
the surface seems entirely appropriate.
However, there is another possible inter-
pretation of the types that is espoused by
Harlan, one which requires considering the
obverse and reverse in isolation from one
another. From this point of view, Calenus,
whose design appears on the obverse,
selected a type which was reflective of
his Marian sympathies and popularis poli-
tics (in his later career Calenus became
a popularis politician closely aligned with
Caesar). Gaius Marius had dedicated a
temple to Honos and Virtus after his con-
quest of the Cimbri in 101 BC, and of all his
monuments it was the only one to survive
destruction under Sulla. During the years
since Sulla’s dictatorship, anything re-
motely related to Marius was considered
taboo, and it was only early in 69 BC when
Caesar gave a public funeral oration for
his aunt Julia, who was the widow of Mar-
ius, that attitudes began to change re-
garding the deceased political reformer.
The identification of the moneyer whose
name CORDI appears on the reverse of
this coin is debated. He is normally identi-
fied as Mucius Cordus Scaevola, but this
seems unlikely as Scaevola acquired his
cognomen for performing a daring act of
bravery, and it would therefore be natural
to use that name instead of CORDI. More
plausible is that the moneyer is one Manius
Cordius Rufus of Tusculum, the father of the
Caesarian moneyer Manius Cordius of 46
BC. This supposes that he identified with the
popularis political philosophy of his col-
league, Calenus, and also better relates
to the reverse in that he was a novus homo
(new man) in Roman politics, having come
from a municipia that benefitted from Ro-
man citizenship following the Social War.
Estimated Value.................. $1,500 - 2,000
Ex LHS 100 (23-24 April 2007), 396.
