Lot 431
Augustus, 27 B.C. - AD 14. Silver Denarius (3.87 g). Uncertain mint, struck 17 B.C. CA-ES-AR, young bare head (of Gaius Caesar, or Augustus?) facing right; all within an oak-wreath. rev. AVG-VST, ornamented candelabrum; all within a floral wreath decorated with bucrania and paterae. (RIC 540; BMC 684). Beautiful old cabinet tone with iridescence, a little wear to the highest point of obverse, a very attractive example. Extremely Fine. Estimated Value $4,000
Ex E. J. W. Hildyard, FSA Collection, purchased for £4/15/-
Ex Baldwin's Auction 55, 7 May 2008, lot 2013.
Augustus adopted his grandsons Gaius and Lucius Caesar in 17 B.C., marking them out in his plans for the succession. The portrait on the obverse of this coin, taken with the legend 'CAESAR', has traditionally been identified as that of Gaius, but more recent thinking has attributed it to that of a youthful portrait of Augustus himself. The precise identification remains unclear.
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