Lifetime portrait denarius of Julius Caesar

And, minted 2-Weeks before his death. Personally, I like the Veiled version due to his being Pontifex Maximus for several years; an interesting portent to hs impending death; and he veiled himself with his toga as he was being stabbed.

 

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Great coin @Parthicus! I love coins of Caesar. But they are very expensive, since I am definately not the only one who really likes them! Here is mine:

 

Utterly fantastic with a superb write-up!

 

AUGUSTUS (OCTAVIAN)
AE Dupondius
OBVERSE: CAESAR DIVI F, bare head of Octavian right
REVERSE: DIVOS IVLIVS, wreathed head of Julius Caesar right
Gallic or Italian mint 38 BC
30mm; 17.90 g
CR535/v1, RPC620v

 

I THINK yours looks like 480/14 like mine. Your attribute says shield, but it LOOKS like those are rays at the bottom of the Scepter... like a star's rays. Similar to mine.

 

On the reverse of your coin, the bottom of the scepter is definitely resting on a star, not a shield.

 

Still working on the Caesar portrait coin but here are a couple I have in the house:









Sorry about the poor quality photos but that's the best I could manage with my phone

 

By today’s standards the conduct of Julius Caesar and many other men whom historians view as “great” is abhorrent. The trouble is you have look at them in the context of their times.

After extensive studies into the lives of the British monarchs from Alfred the Great to date and some beginning studies of the Roman emperors, I have come to a “Leo Durocher” conclusion. “Nice guys finish(ed) last” in those days. If you were not able to take territory or put down you enemies, they would put you down. You could not be like Ferdinand the Bull and gently bend down and sniff the flowers. If you did, one of your opponents would have stuck a sword in your back.

Just look at the history of the British kings. They were constantly at war or imprisoning or killing their enemies. Kings like Henry III (1216 to 1272), who was drawn to religion, culture and the building of Westminster Abby, are generally viewed as “weak.” Most kings who were deposed didn’t get live out their lives. They were killed or committed suicide.

 

I thoroughly understand the perspective of NOT viewing History through today's eyes. However, even the Roman Senate stated repeatedly that Caesar had gone too far. Yes, I understand that it were his opposition. And I am not sure that "today's standards" are any different: The wars of extermination within the 20th Century (WWII, Yugoslavia, etc.) were not mild compared to 49 BCE... Going into the 19th Century the US Civil War was not a tame conflict, etc. No, things have not changed, and the History is the same. Folks thought the conflicts were as abhorrent then, as they are today.

 

The thing we don’t have today is the frequent execution of heads of state. Just look at a single year in Rome, 69 AD. Two emperors were murdered, and one committed suicide. One of the murdered emperors, Vitellius, was grabbed from the palace, dragged through the streets and killed by a mob. Today that could happen in a third world country, but not in a modern place with the prestiege of ancient Rome.



BTW, I found it be very difficult to find a denarius that had Vitellius' full name on it.

 

Understood.

 

Thanks for the attention! I haven't noticed, but now that you mention it... There does not seem to be a shield. I've encircled the - in my eyes - rays. Those are the rays you mean right?



When looking for other examples online, I noticed stars have either four or six, or seven rays towards the sides. Seeing the pattern on my coin vaguely, I would assume there would have been six (seven?) rays. I've also noticed that there's no distinction made when it comes to the amount of rays.

 

Yes, my observation.

 

Yes, you've circled the area to which I was referring. Yours is similar to the reverse on my coin, but I can't quite count the exact number of rays on your reverse (mine appears to have five):

 

Love the Caesars! Here's my example of the OP's coin.



Provenance:

Ars Classica Auction XV July 2, 1930 Lot 1306;

Adolf Hess Nachf, Frankfurt am Main, Theodor Prowe of Moscow Collection, May 20, 1912 Lot 243.

 

Love the coin and great portrait.......I'm envious

 

Here's mine, excerpted from a 1999 CNG catalog (sorry for the terrible image!):


Of note, the price I paid was very, very close to the price realized here after inflation. It seems JC wouldn't have been a great investment in 1999, but it's good to know he probably won't lose me money when I go to sell.