38
|
Session Five - Tuesday, January 15, 2015 1:00 pm
3126
C. Marius C.f. Capito. Silver Denarius (3.9 g), 81 BC
.
Rome. C MAR-I C F C-APIT, draped bust of Ceres right, wearing
wreath of grain ears; VII at end of legend.
Reverse:
Husband-
man with yoke of oxen plowing left; above, VII. Crawford 378/
1a; Sydenham 744; Maria 7. Old cabinet toning.
Very Fine
.
Estimated Value ................................................... $250 - 300
Included with old envelope
.
3127
C. Naevius Balbus. Silver Denarius (4.0 g), 79 BC
. Rome.
S C behind, diademed head of Venus right.
Reverse:
C N(AE)
B(AL)B in exergue, Victory, holding reins, driving galloping triga
right; above, CLXXVIII. Crawford 382/1b; Sydenham 769b;
Naevia 6. Nice old collection toning.
Choice Very Fine
.
The moneyer is unattested other than on this special coinage
authorized by senatorial decree (
ex senatus consulto
), which
should most probably be viewed as an issue to finance opera-
tions in the the Sertorian War in Spain. The triga depicted on
the reverse is most interesting: at the time this coin was struck
it was already an archaic convention, Homeric in origin, origi-
nally borrowed from the Greeks and used in Rome only during
the
ludi Romani
, the games celebrating the Roman victory at
Lake Regillus. It appears only one other time during the Repub-
lican period, on coins struck 111-110 BC under the moneyers
Appius Claudius Pulcher, T. Manlius Mancius, and Q. Urbinius.
Estimated Value ................................................... $250 - 300
3128
C. Naevius Balbus. Silver Denarius (3.6 g), 79 BC
. Rome.
S C behind, diademed head of Venus right.
Reverse:
C N(AE)
B(AL)B in exergue, Victory, holding reins, driving galloping triga
right; above, CCXIII. Crawford 382/1b; Sydenham 769b; Naevia
6. Toned with blue iridescence.
Very Fine
.
Estimated Value ................................................... $200 - 250
Included with old envelope
.
3129
L. Furius Cn.f. Brocchus. Silver Denarius (3.7 g), 63 BC
.
Rome. BROCCHI below, III VIR across field above, draped bust
of Ceres right, wreathed with grain ears, lock of hair falling
down neck; in fields, grain ear to left, barley corn to right.
Reverse:
L FVRI/CN F in two lines above, curule chair between
two fasces. Crawford 414/1; Sydenham 902a; Furia 23a. Deli-
cately toned.
Extremely Fine
.
The obverse possibly relates to a family history where an ances-
tor served as aedile of the grain supply, the cura annonae, or it
may just reflect the moneyer's populist political philosophy. At
the time this coin was struck, Catiline's conspiracy was secretly
developing, only to be exposed and crushed the following year
during Cicero's consulship. Although grain shortage was not one
of the social causes of the Catiline conspiracy as outlined by
Cicero - remember that Pompey had cleared the Mediterranean
of the pirate menace in the early 60s BC and thus the grain sup-
ply had been secured - after the revelation of the plot, Cato pro-
posed a grain measure extending the dole to include Rome's
poor. Obviously, then, even though supply was plentiful, it was a
source of discontent for the many urban plebs who were not
benefitting from free distribution, and perhaps it was this mood
that Brocchus was attempting to exploit by his choice of types
on this coin.
Estimated Value ................................................... $400 - 500
3130
L. Scribonius Libo. Silver Denarius (3.7 g), 62 BC
. Rome.
BON EVENT before, LIBO behind, diademed head of Bonus
Eventus right.
Reverse:
PVTEAL above, SCRIBON in exergue,
garlanded well head decorated with two lyres and hammer.
Crawford 416/1a; Sydenham 928; Scribonia 8a. Nicely toned
with some light blue iridescence.
Choice Very Fine
.
Estimated Value ................................................... $300 - 350
Included with old envelope
.
3131
M. Nonius Sufenas. Silver Denarius (4.1 g), 57 BC
. Rome.
SVFENAS before, [S C] behind, head of Saturn right; behind,
harpa and conical stone.
Reverse:
SEX NON[I] in exergue, PR L
V P F around, Roma seated left on cuirass and shield, holding
spear, crowned by Victory standing to left behind her, holding
palm. Crawford 421/1; Sydenham 885; Nonia 1. Old cabinet
toning with blue iridescence.
Extremely Fine
.
The reverse of this coin is historically important in that it alone
preserves the name of the praetor who first held the games, the
ludi Victoriae Sullanae
, in 81 BC honoring Sulla's victory at the
Colline Gate. The abbreviated legend is normally read
Sextus
Nonius, praetor ludos victoriae primus fecit
("Sextus Nonius as
praetor first held the games of Victory").
Estimated Value ................................................... $500 - 600
