[ancients] New RR... second time lucky

Here's a coin I just received that I'm very happy to add to my tiny collection of Roman Republicans. A similar piece originally caught my eye in the recent Pecunem 12 auction, but being a fairly scarce type and in very nice condition it hammered at a price that was too rich for my blood. As luck would have it, this one came along a few days later in the Roma 5 auction and I managed to snag it. As a little bonus, it's Ex Andrew McCabe Collection and is the same coin that he features in his webpage on Campania (in the section about the town of Herculaneum).



ROMAN REPUBLIC
Q. CREPEREIUS M. F. ROCUS
Denarius (3.69g, 18mm)
Rome mint, 72 BC.
Crawford 399/1b.
O: Bust of Amphitrite right, control marks to left (squid) and right.
R: Neptune in biga of sea-horses, brandishing trident, control mark above, Q. CREPER. M. F. ROCVS in two lines below.
Ex Andrew McCabe Collection

From Andrew McCabe's page (http://andrewmccabe.ancients.info/Italy.html#Herc) :

"The House of Neptune and Amphitrite has a garden room in place of the usual peristyle, richly decorated with mosaics. It's not a huge house, which explains its non standard arrangements - there's no room for a peristyle - but the quality of the mosaics and general decorative standard indicates a wealthy proprietor. On one wall of the garden court are some recessed areas perhaps for statues or Lares, with mosaics of dogs and stags surrounding, and above them theatre masks. The garden court wall mosaics use pieces of glass to give the vivid colours and reflect light, and thus are brighter and more colourful than more robust floor mosaics made of tile. That of Neptune and Amphitrite his consort is oddly named. The Roman names should be Neptune and Salacia or Greek Poseidon and Amphitrite, but it's very nautical in any event with brights sea shell surrounds and predominantly sea blue, a colour that doesn't appear much on Vesuvaian walls. There is a rare and elegantly engraved Roman coin with the same types usually named thus, Neptune in a biga of hippocamps and Amphitrite with behind her a squid, minted by one Crepereius in 69BC. Fishy."

I'm planning a trip to Italy in a couple of months and hopefully will be able to visit Herculaneum and pop into the House of Neptune and Amphitrite myself.

 

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Great type! I watched the one in the last Pecunem too... had to sit on my hands to keep from bidding.

A biga of sea-horses?! Must have!

 

Missed this one. I must have passed it over thinking it was a typical biga reverse. Nice pickup!

 

Wow, Z => TIF is correct!! ... "sea-horses" is a definite bonus-point in the ol' animal-coin category!!

... congrats on a very cool lookin' RR denarius "serratus"

 

Great addition, I mainly like the obverse.

 

Great addition. One on my very long wish list

 

Is that an S shaped test cut I see on the obverse?

If it is or if it isn't, that is one sweet coin.

Try to get to Bologna, my dad says they have the best pastries you can get.

 

hipocamps and serrate....double score Z!

 

Two test cuts perhaps? Rather mean-looking in any case.

We'll probably be spending a few days in Bologna getting fat.

 

*Snort* Getting fat? Not if you offend some married ladies you won't...

 

Here is a similar test cut in another RR coin:

M. PLAETORIUS M.F. CESTIANUS ROMAN REPUBLIC; GENS PLAETORIA AR Denarius
OBVERSE: Bust of an Vacuna right, wearing a wreathed and crested helmet, bow and quiver on shoulder, cornucopiae below chin
REVERSE: M PLAETORIVS M F AED CVR Eagle right, on
thunderbolt, head left Rome 67 BC
3.7g, 18 mm
Cr409/1; Syd 809; Plaetoria 4

 

And another that is somewhat different:

L SCRIBONIUS LIBO ROMAN REPUBLIC; GENS SCRIBONIA AR Denarius OBVERSE: BON EVENT LIBO, diademed head of Bonus Eventus right
REVERSE: PVTEAL above, SCRIBON below, well-head ornamented with garland and two lyres, hammer at base
Rome 62 BC
3.2g, 18mm
Cr416/1a., Scribonia 8a

 

And yet another that is somewhat different:

D. JUNIUS ALBINUS; GENS POSTUMIA AR Denarius
OBVERSE: Hd of pietas r; PIETAS
REVERSE: Clasped hands on caduceus; ALBINVS BRVTI.F.
Rome 48 BC
3.91g. 19mm
Syd 942

 

Does the reverse on my M. PLAETORIUS M.F. CESTIANUS Denarius remind anyone of any other coins?

 

Any modern coins?

 

how about this one?

 

Yep. Many US classic coins. For example,

Capped bust quarter:



US gold eagles of various denominations. Wings are a little different but otherwise quite similar.

 

I'm seeing a lot of banker's marks on these RRs...I think I should get one.

 

Hey TIF => is it just me, or did the mods tell you where to go with your CCF stuff?