508
Julius Caesar, Silver Denarius, 4.07g, 44 BC. Mint of Rome. M. Mettius, moneyer.
CAESAR IMP
, laureate head
of Julius Caesar facing right. Rev.
M METTIVS
, Venus standing facing, head left, holding Victory and sceptre,
resting elbow on shield set on globe behind her; in left field, A (Crawford 480/17; HCRI 101; Sydenham 1055;
RSC 35). Bold portrait, lightly toned, extremely fine.
$ 11,000
ex NAC Auction 23, 2002, lot 1418
In 44 BC the Senate honored Caesar with the right to place his portrait on the coinage. This presented a revolutionary change as never
before had the effigy of a living Roman appeared on the coinage of the Republic (there is the instance of the exceedingly rare gold
Staters of T. Quinctius Flamininus struck in Macedon 196 BC, but those are not Roman issues). Whether this was simply another
honor bestowed by the Senate to appeal to Caesar’s vanity or it implied his acceptance of the role of monarch is debated, but certainly
the average Roman interpreted it as monarchical aspirations of the dictator: within three months Caesar was dead, struck down by
the conspirators on the Ides of March, 44 BC.
Superb Portrait Denarius of Pompey
509
Sextus Pompey (son of Pompey the Great), Silver Denarius, 4.0g, 42-38 BC. Mint of Massilia. Q. Nasidius,
commander of the fleet.
NEPTVNI
behind, bare head of Pompey the Great facing right, trident before,
dolphin right below. Rev.
Q NASIDIVS
in exergue, galley with billowing sail and bank of rowers moving right,
star in upper left field (Crawford 483/2; HCRI 235; Sydenham 1350; RSC 20 (Pompey the Great)). Delicately
toned with traces of lustre, extremely fine with a fantastic portrait of Pompey.
$ 10,000
Q. Nasidius was a Pompeian loyalist, having first served under Pompey unsuccessfully defending Massalia from the
Caesarian forces under Decimus Brutus in 49 BC. Later he commanded the fleet of the Pompeian forces in north Africa
until the disaster at Thapsus, after which he left for Spain to join with Pompey’s son, Cn. Pompey Jr. He subsequently
served as supreme naval commander under Sextus Pompey at Massilia, where this handsome coin was struck. Eventually
Nasidius saw the futility of the Pompeian cause, deserting to Mark Antony where he fought at Actium in 31 BC.
510
P. Clodius Turrinus (42 BC), Silver Denarius, 3.63g, 6h. Mint of Rome. Head of Apollo facing right, laureate,
a lyre behind. Rev.
P CLODIVS M F
, Diana standing facing, a bow and quiver over her shoulder, holding a
lighted torch in each hand (Crawford 494/23; Sydenham 1117; RBW 1729; RCV 492). Well-centred, beautiful
old cabinet tone, about extremely fine.
$ 700
