Lot 4405
Julius Caesar, d. 44 BC. Silver Denarius (4.1g) minted at Rome, April 44 BC by moneyer C. Cossutius Maridianus. Laureate, veiled head of Caesar right; apex behind; lituus before. Reverse: Moneyer's name in cruciform: AAA F.F in angles. Craw 480/19; Syd 1069; RSC 8; Alföldi type XVII, 8. As usual, struck slightly off-center yet with a full portrait. Choice Very Fine.
This portrait denarius of Caesar was issued by the moneyer C. Cossutius Maridianus in the month following the assassination of the dictator on the Ides of March 44 BC. Maridianus was one of four moneyers appointed for that year, the others being M. Mettius, L. Aemilius Buca, and P. Sepullius Macer. The obverse inscription includes the title Parens Patriae (Parent of his Country) which Crawford regards as posthumous. Veiled portraits of the dictator appear both before and after the Ides of March. The interesting reverse type shows the moneyer's name arranged in a cruciform pattern with his official titles placed in the angles. A A A F F is abbreviated from IIII VIR A A A F F quattuovir aere argento auro flando feriundo (one of four men for the casting and striking of bronze, silver, and gold). This was the first time that the full title of the moneyer's office had appeared on the coinage of the Roman Republic.
Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,500.
The Hunter Collection.
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| Realized $2,185 |
