NEWP: A. Postumius A.f. Sp.n. Albinus Denarius serratus(ain't that a moutful)

Roman Republic A. Postumius A.f. Sp.n. Albinus. AR Denarius serratus (18mm, 3.72g). 81 BC. Rome mint. Head of Hispania right, wearing veil; behind, HISPAN downwards. Border of dots / Togate figure with right hand raised, standing between legionary eagle and fasces with axe around, A • POST • A • F • S • N • ALBIN. Border of dots. Crawford 372/2; Sydenham 74; RSC Postumia 8.

After wrestling with USPS for two days only to find out they put the package in my neighbor's mailbox I finally managed to get my CNG win from last week. This is one of the Republican types where a moneyer celebrated the achievements of a famous ancestor. According to Crawford, the reverse "Combining a togate figure on one hand with an eagle and the fasces on the other hand, perhaps simply alludes to civilian and military imperium; taken with the obverse type the reference is doubtless to the Spanish command of L. Postumius Albinus"(Crawford, RRC p. 389). The L. Postumius Albinus referenced was an ancestor of this moneyer who was praetor in 180 BC and given the province of Hispania Ulterior and after conquering two of the tribes there triumphed in 178 BC before being elected consul in 173 BC.

Show me your serrate denarii! This is my first but I doubt it will be my last with the Republican kick I've been on lately.

 

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Thanks for a great photo of a very interesting coin. I also appreciate the information you included as I know nothing about coins of this type.

 

Awesome coin with excellent historical notes! The fight with the USPS was certainly worth it.

 

It looks like Hispania's hair is being blown in the wind.

 

Excellent example red. Here is my gruf example

 

That's an outstanding coin, red-spork! Well-done!

 

Glad you appreciate it. I try to include historical information whenever I can find it and Crawford's book is great for that. If you(or anyone else reading) ever wants to know if Crawford has any info on a particular issue of the Republic feel free to ask me and I'll see what I can find.

 

Great coin, Jordan! I'd like to get this type sometime.

 

Excellent one, red. I look forward to seeing your future RR pickups.

Here's a serrate I really like.


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 driving biga of hippocamps, brandishing trident, control mark above, Q. CREPER. M. F. ROCVS in two lines below.

 

Great coin--but I'm biased---since I LOVE RR denarii and I recently purchased the same exact type (sellers photo with an NGC slab that will be soon removed)....and I have one other serratus---but it is a fourree :

 

I have read that the reason for the serrated issues was to show users that the coins were solid silver not plated fouree's . Supposedly saved the users from cutting into the coins' rims. Fourees were common in the First Century BC, so maybe, but any good forger could cast the coins as serrated, then plate the coin. Anyone else hear of any reasons for the serration?

 

The exact reasons behind the serrations are many. As you said, one theory is that they were to protect against fourees but as you said, a forger could fake serrated denarii as well. Another theory I have read of, in line with the first, is that these denarii were generally used to pay foreigners(i.e. Foreign soldiers) who had no experience with denarii and these serrations served to bolster their confidence in the Roman denarii by attempting to prove there was no fouree core. Michael Crawford, the Roman Republican historian and numismatist who wrote what is now the standard text on Republican issues, theorizes that these had nothing to do with fourees or counterfeiting at all but were simply done for stylistic reasons, arguing that because there is evidence that these were being minted in the same places by the same mint workers as non serrated issues and were circulating at the same time and places as non serrated issues that there likely was no functional purpose of the serrations, simply aesthetics. I have even heard one person argue that they were a sort of nod to the Seleucid serrated bronzes, but I see no evidence for that as the processes for making the serrations were different.

 

Fascinating stuff isn't it??

As a matter of fact, many months ago I purchased that fouree because it satisfied several of my collecting aims: it was an RR 'silver' coin, serrated and a fouree---which seems to fly against the conventional wisdom for the existence of serrated coins in the first place.

Like you, I have heard or read several varying explanations for all of this. but I haven't been able to determine what the actual consensus is among the 'experts'....

Doug, AJ, Martin or anyone out there have the 'definitive' answer??

 

that's a wonderful coins RS..i recently posted my favorite serrate denarius, here is my second favorite (i only have 20...but i do like this coin!).