I just pulled the trigger on this one last night. Since I primarily collect modern coins, this one caught my eye due to its clean surfaces. Even though it isn’t that well centered, it looks like how I picture it would have looked when it was actually circulating. It seems that this level if preservation is not very common for Imperial bronze. I also couldn’t resist the Caligula attribution. After a bit of research I learned that the letters “RCC” on the reverse were to commemorate abolition of a 1/2 percent sales tax.
A wonderful quadrans! What is described as a pileus, to me it looks rather like a Phrygian cap. What came to be labelled as the Phrygian cap was originally used by several Iranian peoples, including the Scythians, the Medes, and the Persians. From the reports of the ancient Greeks, it appears that the Iranian variant also was a soft headdress and called a tiara. The Greeks identified one variant with their eastern neighbors and labeled it the "Phrygian cap", sometimes ending in the head of a bird or animal. The Greek concept passed to the Romans. On Trajan's Column, which commemorated Trajan's epic wars with the Dacians, the Phrygian cap adorns the heads of Dacian warriors. Here we see a pileus, which doesn't end in something like your coin: not my coin, just an example of a pileus from https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Pileus_(hat) I'm just passing on to you my confusion.
How about one from Claudius, but not so nice as the OP example: CLAUDIUS AE Quadrans OBVERSE: T I CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG – Modius REVERSE: PON M TRP IMP P P COSII - Large S C Struck at Rome, 42AD 2.6g, 16mm RIC 90, BN 195, S 1865, C 72
Beautiful example! I really like AE Quadrans. I'd love to have one of these Caligula's that nice! Note: Your coin previously sold at CNG e auction 522 a little over a year ago. It's very hard to find them in this fine state of preservation. FWIW, the usual explanation of this type is that the Pileus (which represents Libertas) is meant to be symbolic of freedom / liberation from the tax you mentioned. It's supposed to have been a deliberate & recognizable homage to the EID MAR type and, more generally, the use of Libertas' symbols to represent "liberation" from the prior laws and taxes, or previous tyrannical rulers (used that way later, not this time), and so on. A couple mine that I haven't shared (recently): Claudius Quadrans, c. 41 CE. Modius obverse. Possibly imitative/struck at an "irregular mint" in Spain (?) (see also this HJB specimen with unusual reverse legend arrangement): Early Augustus Quadrans. Altar type, 5 BCE. Ex Archer Huntington (1870-1955) Collection. Donated to the Hispanic Society of America in 1940s, on long-term loan to the American Numismatic Society (Accession #1001.1.10488, w/ the peach-colored museum tag). De-accessioned and sold around 2012, donated back to ANS...and sold again! Domitian Quadrans. Rhinoceros. Struck 84/5 CE. Unfortunately the rhino's horn is off the flan to left. But I still like this one. My only rhinoceros coin, I think:
So if my coin was incorrectly represented as having a pileus, should I claim “not as described” and ask for the Ides of March denarius as compensation? (I tried to put in a laugh emoji but the site won’t let me…)
I really like the desert patina on your first one. Are you able to see the sale price on the link to mine? It didn’t show when I opened it.
LOL, That's a good one! Don't think you'll get it. Anyway, I was just sharing my confusion, and i'm still confused
You can find it on the CNG website. Just remember to add 20% (buyer fee) + whatever they paid to have it encapsulated https://cngcoins.com/Lot.aspx?LOT_ID=71468
