Julius Caesar Portrait Denarius

I acquired this coin a few days ago. I don't suppose I need to lecture anyone on the historical importance of these JC types that were the first Roman coins to portray a living person. But I did find this nice little page that someone put together at MacQuarie University with an overview - worth a read if you're new to the portrait denarii of Julius Caesar.

I believe the collector of this coin undervalued it because of the banker's mark, so I got it at a nice bargain. I don't find the mark the least bit distracting, especially since it doesn't mar any of JC's facial features and the resulting bump on the reverse only erases a bit of Venus's staff. What say you?

They really aren't purdy coins, are they? But a nice bust of JC is a nice bust of JC.

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The Caesarians. Julius Caesar. January-February 44 BC. AR Denarius (19mm, 3.9 g, 9h). Rome mint. L. Aemilius Buca, moneyer. Wreathed head of Caesar right; CAESAR • IM downwards before, large crescent dividing P M upwards behind / Venus Victrix standing left, holding Victory on extended right hand and holding scepter in left; L • AEMILIVS • BVCA around. Crawford 480/4; Alföldi Type IV, 141 (same dies).

 

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I like it.

 

give me...

 

Hard coin to come by, been trying to get one lately.

 

Gorgeous coin.

 

There's a winner!

 

Julius Ceasar dream

 

I've been after one at least as nice as yours JA. Definitely a winner!

 

I like it very much. It has a great portrait and a very nice reverse. That is a great catch. Congrats!

 

Actually, this one is going to a client, already spoken for, but I get to enjoy it for another day.

 

Well drat. I was going to PM you about it. Next time...

Why didn't you put it in your next auction? Was it purposefully bought for a client?

 

lol, i concur wiff the others, um, where's the drool cup for us poor and jcless peeps?

 

Thanks to JA for acquiring this Julius Caesar for me knowing I wanted something mind blowing for my collection. And thanks for showing it off here. Saved me the trouble of having to make a thread about it.

That's right, I'm the client he bought it for. The OP coin is mine.

 

@Sallent

You are very fortunate to have acquired such a wonderful iconic coin.

 

Very nice example, indeed. Congrats, @Sallent!

 

Thank you. I vowed never to spend more than $500 on a coin, but when this came up and JA was able to negotiate it down to such a great price for me...promise be darned. I won't disclose the price, but I was one happy client.

 

I really enjoy @John Anthony 's ( EDITED: @Sallent 's ) new JC. It is gorgeous, and I really like the added touch with a bankers mark! Add real history to it as it is KNOWN to have circulated!

I really like that the Republican Rome tradition was anti-king. And they carried that further by not featuring portraits of living leaders on their coinage. I believe it was ONE nail in the coffin to Caesars demise that portrait coinage was minted during his lifetime...

I also am of the camp that actually Publius Scipio Scipio, later Scipio Africanus - winner of the Battle of Zama to end the 2nd Punic War, was the first living Roman, albeit "unofficial issue", to be featured on a Roman coin... AND, it was not SILVER (big distinction in Roman Coinage).

I REALLY like this guy!

Shown this one before... But it is struck in Carthago Nova, founded by Hasdrubal the Fair in 227 as a colony of Carthage. It was originally called QART HADASHT which is the same name the Carthaginians called their native city of CARTHAGE. Hasdrubal was a Barcid, and this was a major city in the area called Barcid Spain, which Carthage drew enormous military and financial (Bronze and Silver mines) rejuvenation after losing the First Punic War to Rome.

However, along came Publius Cornelius Scipio in 209 BCE to rain on the Carthaginians' parade and conquered Carthago Nova!

AE's of Publius Cornelius Scipio (before he was Africanus, and while in Spain), from Carthago Nova... He was young and had been built up almost as a demi-god to politically oppose Hannibal's HUGE propaganda campaign in Italy against Rome... This whipper-snapper "figgered" it all out as to how to counter the psychological effect that Hannibal had on the Romans AND Italians for so many years!


Roman Republic
Carthago Nova (Carthaginian city of Qart Hadasht) Roman Occupation by Scipio (later Africanus)
ca. 209-206 BCE
Bronze Unit
22.8mm, 9.1g
Carthago Nova mint
OBV: Bare head l, Roman style (Scipio?)
REV: Horse standing r
Rare
Sear/Seaby Vol 2 6575; SNG BM Spain 127-128; Burgos 552


Roman Republic
Bronze 1/5 unit,
1.6g, maximum diameter 14.6mm, die axis 0o
Carthago Nova mint, weight, 209 - 206 B.C.
Obv: bare male head (Scipio Africanus?) left
Rev: horse head right
Ref: SNG BM Spain 129, Burgos 556
rare

 

EXCELLENT score @Sallent . That is a SUPER addition to your collection! And, to me, the Bankers Mark makes it awesome!

 

I like it a lot. I don't think the banker's mark really detracts from the coin, either.

 

Out of 102 coins in my collection, this is the first one with a banker's mark. I was hunting for a coin with a banker's mark for a while, but the right one never seemed to pop up... until this Julius Caesar.

I definitely love that mark. Without it I would have never been able to afford it. That's the honest truth.