Featured Roman Republic denarii with reverses showing animals (other than horses)

I particularly like Republican denarii with reverses showing animals, so I thought I'd post a few of mine. I'm excluding horses -- real and mythological -- because that would take in what seem to me to be a substantial minority (if not a majority) of Republican coins, especially the earlier ones.

Instead, here are a bull, a lion, a dolphin, a hound, and a wild boar. (In addition, although I won't re-post the Juno Sospita denarius from the thread about shields, there's a small snake on the lower right of the reverse of that coin. See https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/l-procili-juno-sospita-reverse-jpg.1061246/.)

The images are all from the sellers, except the last one.

First, the bull: Roman Republic, L. Thorius Balbus, AR Denarius, 105 BCE. Obv. Head of Juno Sospita R., “ISMR” [Iunonis Sospitae Magnae Reginae] / Rev. Bull Charging Right, A above, “L. THORIUS BALBUS.” RSC I Thoria 1, Crawford 316/1, Sear RCV I 192. 20.11 mm., 3.85 g. David R. Sear Certificate of Authenticity, 11/16/2012, No. 690CY/RR/CO/C.



Next, the lion: Roman Republic. C. Poblicius Q.f. AR Serrate Denarius, 80 BCE. Obverse: Head of Roma right, wearing helmet decorated with grain ears; ROMA behind / Rev: C•POBLICI•Q•F; Hercules standing left, strangling the Nemean Lion; bow and quiver to left, club below. Crawford 380/1; RSC I Poblicia 9; Sydenham 768. 20.13 mm., 3.84 g.



Next, the dolphin: Roman Republic, L Lucretius Trio, 76 BCE, AR Denarius. Obv. Laureate head of Neptune right, XXXIII above and trident behind/ Rev. Cupid (or Infant Genius) on dolphin right; L LVCRETIVS TRIO. Crawford 390/2, Sydenham 784, RSC I Lucretia 3.19 mm., 3.9 g.


Next, the hound: Roman Republic, C. Postumius, AR Denarius, Rome 74 BCE. Obv. Bust of Diana R. w/ bow and quiver/ Rev. Hound running R., hunting spear below, “C POSTUMI TA” in exergue. RSC I Postumia 9, Crawford 394/1, Sear RCV I 330. 18 mm., 3.83 g.



Finally, the wild boar (with another hound as a bonus animal!): Roman Republic, C. Hosidius C.f. Geta, AR Denarius 68 BCE. Obv. Diademed and draped bust of Diana R., bow and quiver over shoulder, GETA before, III VIR behind/ Rev. Wild boar of Calydon r., pierced in shoulder by spear and attacked by hound beneath, C. HOSIDI C F in exergue. RSC I Hosidia 1 (ill.), Crawford 407/2, Sydenham 903, Sear RCV I 346 (ill.). 18 mm., 3.91 g.





As sellers like to say, this one looks much better "in hand" than in the photos I took. I bought it at the recent NYINC a few weeks ago, which is why I have no seller's photo. (I was there for several hours on the Friday afternoon -- perhaps some of you were also there, and I unknowingly crossed your paths. I certainly wasn't the only woman there as a collector, but, as usual, there weren't very many! In fact, there seemed to be more women behind the dealers' tables than in front of them.)

If any of you have your own Republican animal reverses (non-equine variety!) that you'd like to post, I'd love to see them.

 

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This is a fantastic selection of Republican denarii! Especially the Hosidius with the boar reverse is stunning. Thanks for showing them.

Though mine are not as nice as yours, I also like animals on Roman Republican coins, and I can add two goats, a she-wolf (with a bird detail), a pair of oxen, a stork, and an elephant.


Roman Republic, moneyer: Gaius Renius, AR denarius, 138 BC, Rome mint. Obv: helmeted head of Roma r.; behind, X. Rev: Juno in biga of goats r., wearing diadem and holding sceptre and reins in l. hand and whip in r. hand; below, C. REN; in exergue, ROM[A]. 16mm, 3.41g. Ref: RRC 231/1.


Roman Republic, moneyer: Sex. Pompeius Fostlus, 137 BC, Rome mint. Obv: head of Roma, helmeted, r.; behind, jug; before, X. Rev: SEX·PO[M FOSTVLVS]; she-wolf suckling twins r.; behind, Ficus Ruminalis with bird; in l. field, the shepherd Faustulus leaning on staff; in exergue, [RO]MA. 18mm, 3.87g. Rev: RRC 235/1c.


Roman Republic, imperatorial issue of Q. Caecilius Metellus Pius, AR denarius, 81 BC, Northern Italian mint. Obv: diademed head of Pietas r.; to right, stork standing r. Rev: Q C M P I; elephant standing l., wearing bell around neck. 17mm, 3.55g. Ref: RRC 374/1. Ex JB collection; ex AMCC 2, lot 105 (their picture).


Roman Republic, moneyer: C. Marius C. f. Capito, AR denarius serratus, 81 BC, Rome mint. Obv: CAPIT; head of Ceres, diademed, r., control number CV; control mark (whip?) before. Rev: C. MARI. C. F. / S. C; ploughman with two oxen l.; above, control number CV. 18mm, 3.88g. Ref: RRC 378/1c.

 

Great coins! Although I'm disappointed that there are no mice (which I thought there would be until I realized that that was a typo)!

 

one of my favorites, snakes with a plumb bob

 

Yes, sorry for the disappointment... just a typo (now corrected).

Yet, it might actually also have been subconscious wishful thinking: there is a very desirable Republican denarius showing a mouse. I don't own an example (yet), but I think I remember from an earlier thread that @dougsmit has one.

 

Is a rat close enough @DonnaML ?

I can not find a pic of mine, so I borrowed one by CNG on acsearch.

Ti. Quinctius. 112-111 BC. Fourrée Denarius (20mm, 3.34 g, 9h). Copying Rome mint. Laureate and bearded bust of Hercules left, seen from behind, wearing lion skin across shoulders, club over right shoulder / Two horses galloping left with a naked rider ( desultor ) on the nearer horse; rat right below. Cf. Crawford 297/1b; cf. Sydenham 563; cf. Quinctia 6. VF, toned, large plating breaks on reverse.

 

Great coins, @DonnaML!

No mice, but here's a well-known one with a rat.
ROMAN REPUBLIC
AR Denarius. 3.83g, 20mm. Rome mint, 112-111 BC. Crawford 297/1b; Sydenham 563; Quinctia 6. O: Laureate bust of Hercules left, seen from behind, wearing lion skin across shoulders, club over right shoulder. R: Two horses galloping left; a desultor riding the nearest one; • / X above, rat below; TI and Q; D • S • S incuse on tablet in exergue.

Do control devices count? Below the griffin on this one, there's a... uh...dog? fox? crocodile? ichneumon?

ROMAN REPUBLIC
AR Serrate Denarius. 3.92g, 18.8mm. Rome mint, 79 BC. Crawford 384/1, pl. LXVII, symbols 122; Sydenham 773. O: Head of Juno Sospita right; behind, coiled snake. R: Griffin leaping right; below, animal with raised tail (fox, ichneumon, or dog) crouched right; L • PAPI in exergue.
Ex E.E. Clain-Stefanelli Collection

 

@zumbly definitely a doxodile.

 

@zumbly That rat is almost as big as the guy on the horse. I guess they don't make them like they used to!

And I don't know what that is under the griffin, but of course the griffin counts on its own. Because a griffin is not a horse.

 

Is it weird if they're partly human?
ROMAN REPUBLIC
AR Denarius. 3.93g, 18mm. Rome mint, 46 BC. T. Carisius, moneyer. Crawford 464/1; Sydenham 983. O: Female head (Sphinx or Sibyl Herophile) right, hair elaborately decorated with jewels and enclosed in a sling and tied with bands. R: T.CARISIVS, Sphinx seated right; III.VIR in exergue.
Ex Mikey Zee Collection; ex Agora Auctions 31, 28 April 2015, lot 129; ex PBJI Ancient Coins and Antiquities

 

RR Allius Bala 92 BCE AR Den Diana Biga Stags Sear 221 Craw336-1 scarce



RR Anon Half-Litra 235-230 BCE
AE 11.1mm, 1.41g
Obv: Head of Diana right, Phrygian Helmet
Rev: Dog right w/ left foreleg raised; Roma in ex
Sear 598 Craw 26-4

 

RR C Mamilius 82 BCE AR Den Serrate Mercury caduceus Ulysses Dog Argos Sear 282 Craw 362-1

 

I have a goat, too:


Mn. Fonteius C.f., 85 BC.
Roman AR Denarius, 3.97 g, 21.0 mm, 5h.
Rome mint.
Obv: MN. FONTEI C. F, Laureate head of Apollo-Vejovis right; thunderbolt below; Roma monogram below chin.
Rev: Infant Genius seated right on goat; pilei of the Dioscuri above; below, filleted thyrsus right; all within wreath.
Refs: Crawford 353/1a; Sydenham 724; Fonteia 9; BMCRR 2476; RCV 271; Varesi 290.

 

I saw a few of those at NYINC and liked them a lot and was really tempted to buy one, but the goat and infant Genius are just so tiny that they're very difficult for me to see without a magnifier.

 

Great group. My goat is having a bad day compared to those animals tasked to pull vehicles.


My pig is just for oth swearing. While I swore several oths in my life, none involved pigs.


The man under the horses is fighting a beast I have seen identified as a lion and as a specific breed of large dog. Do you have an opinion on this matter?

 

Looks like a unicorn to me!

 

A yoke of oxen and my favorite doggy.

 

There are horses here... But also a little dog.

 

Cool how that flan crack cuts through the reverse... details preserved!

 

Lol, MY doggy half-litra makes YOUR doggy look good!