78
Top Quality Antony and Octavian Denarius
3093
Mark Antony & Octavian. Silver Denarius (3.76 g), 41 BC.
Ephesus.
M. Barbatius Pollio, quaestor pro praetore. M ANT I(MP) (AV)G III
VIR R P C M BARBAT Q P, bare head of Mark Antony right.
Reverse:
CAESAR IMP PONT III VIR R P C, bare head of Octavian right.
Crawford 517/2; HCRI 243; Sydenham 1181; RSC 8a. Boldly struck
on a broad flan. Beautiful old cabinet toning with hints of iridescense.
Superb Extremely Fine.
Mark Antony is reported to have lived extravagantly while in the
East, and he exacted large sums from the cities of Asia Minor to
finance this lifestyle. It is certainly from these funds where he ob-
tained the bullion to produce this extensive and handsome coin-
age, struck with the name of his lieutenant M. Barbatius Pollio. Pol-
lio’s colleagues, M. Cocceius Nerva (a distant ancestor of the future
emperor Nerva) and L. Gellius Poplicola, also struck similar types
honoring both Antony’s fellow triumvir, Octavian and his brother,
Lucius Antony, but the majority are of a different style and are be-
lieved to have been struck after Antony’s departure from Ephesus.
Estimated Value.............................................................. $4,000 - 5,000
Ex LHS 100 (23-24 April 2007), 455.
