Lot 508
Julius Caesar, Silver Denarius, 4.07g, 44 BC. 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. 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.
Estimated Value $11,000-UP.
Ex NAC Auction 23, 2002, lot 1418.
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| Realized $12,870 |
