I just finished my exams this week and got a notification of a coin show that happened on Saturday, I just went to destress and was not planning on buying anything. Since only last month I got a cob reales from a show by a different organisation. As I was browsing the tables, this coin caught my eye! I've always wanted a denarius of him (I do have one but it doesn't have his bust) so I had to have it even if it meant breaking my budget, cuz the price was really good for AUD that I could never get from online sources. While not spectacular as compared to other denarii of Augustus, couple of things I like about this coin is the bust of Augustus, and a nice reverse with good centring, which I think is hard to find on these coins. And last but not least, there is a 'X' mark on the reverse, which I assume means a scarcer type? while there're no good reasoning for this, I guess the X meant to signify the death of these children? Looks like there is also a die break causing a cud on the obverse at 5'o clock . 2 BC - 4 AD 3.36g Obv: CAESAR AVGVSTVS DIVI F PATER PATRIAE Rev: C L CAESARES AVGVSTI F COS DESIG PRINC IVVENT Gaius and Lucius Caesar standing, each, togate, resting hand on shield and spear, simpulum, left, and lituus, right, flanking, right and left respectively; X below. RIC 211 Please share your first emperor!
Fine example. Here’s mine, completely toned brown. Selected notes more legible. Augustus ruled from 27 BC (in effect, from the Battle of Actium in 31 BC) until his death in AD 14—some 45 years. Plenty of persons in the Mediterranean world would have been born, lived, and died knowing only Augustus as emperor. The fact that this coin circulated widely up until Augustus’ death, portraying an eternally youthful Emperor, meant that he probably seemed an ageless god to the Roman people. However, Augustus’ claims for himself are a bit more modest. He doesn’t claim to be a god, just the son of a god. The obverse legend of the coin reads (counterclockwise starting at 5 o’clock): CAESAR AVGVSTVS DIVI F PATER PATRIAE: “Caesar Augustus, son of the deified (filius divi), father of his country.” The deified, of course, is Augustus’ adoptive father Julius Caesar, who by this time had been apotheosized. The reverse reads: AVGVSTI F COS DESIG PRINC IVVENT C, L CAESARES: “Augusti Filii Consules Designati Principes Juventutis Caius et Lucius Caesares.” This coin announces grandsons Caius and Lucius to be the heirs of Augustus since he did not have a son. These teenage boys were “princes of youth” (Principes Juventutis) and were nominated to be consuls—high Roman office. Caius and Lucius are standing in front with shields & spears; in the field above, a lituus left and simpulum right. These are priestly instruments. A simpulum was a ladle used in making sacrifice. The lituus was used in augury—a form of Roman political fortune telling—and may be the forerunner of the bishop’s crozier. The boys apparently were pretty bad augurs since they didn’t see their own imminent deaths. Lucius dies of illness at 19; Caius dies the following year from a battle wound. Augustus had a hard time finding suitable heirs who stayed healthy.
Lucius (b. 17 BC) was awarded "princeps iuventutis" in 3 AD, and this was symbolized by offering him a silver shield and a silver spear, the weapons of the cavalry. His elder brother Gaius had been princeps iuventutis in 7 BC. The task of principes iuventutes was to lead the yearly parade of the cavalry in Rome. About the "X": Mattingly relates it to the old symbol for the denarius; Before 141 BC all denarii had the mark of value "X" meaning it was worth 10 Asses. At the end of the 2nd century BC, this mark disappeared from the denarii. Mattingly argues further that the reappearance of "X" was due to the huge amount of denarii that circulated beyond the borders of the empire. [Mattingly, BMC 1, CXVII; M. Grant, Roman Imperial Money, London 1954, 78.] On the other hand, MacDonald & Giard interpret it as a classification symbol; MacDonals as a «control mark to distinguish the later strikings» [MacDonald, Observations (12) 29]. Giard as the mark for a secondary mint [GIARD, Lyon (Note 13) 44]. Another interpretation is that after the death of Lucius and Gaius, the consuls Valerius Messala Volesus and Cornelius Cinna Magnus presented a new lex to pre-select consuls and praetors. For this, 10 centurions selected from the Senators and members of the three highest judge decurions were responsible. To honor Gaius and Lucius these 10 centurions were called after them: five with the name Gaius Caesar and five with the name Lucius Caesar. This is recorded in the Tabula Hebana. Thus the "X" designates these 10 centurions: C(ai) et L(uci) Caesar(um) appellentur to keep in remembrance Caius and Lucius. [Quoted and translated from: Wolters, "Gaius und Lucius Caesar als designierte Konsuln und principes iuventutis", pp 303-306]
On these issues, Gaius, the elder of the two brothers has his shield placed in front of that of his younger brother and the ladle above him marks him as Pontifex. Lucius has the lituus above marking him as augur. On your denarius it seems to be the other way, i. e. Lucius shield is placed in front of the shield of his elder brother. Lugdunum (Lyon), ca. 2 BC – 4/5 AD 17 x 19 mm, 3.779 g RIC I² 207; RSC-43 Ob.: CAESAR AVGVSTVS DIVI F PATER PATRIAE Laureate head of Augustus to right Rv.: AVGVSTI F COS DESIG PRINC IVVENT Gaius and Lucius Caesar togate standing facing, flanking two shields and scepters, simpulum and lituus above; in exergue C L CAESARES (Gaius and Lucius Caesar)
Nice way to celebrate the conclusion of your exams, @JayAg47! Interesting notes on this coin type, @Gavin Richardson and @cmezner. Note that sometimes the order of the simpulum and the lituus changes as on @Bing 's coin. AUGUSTUS. 27 BC-14 AD. AR Denarius (19mm, 3.36 g, 11h). Lugdunum (Lyon) mint. Struck 2 BC -12 AD. [CAES]AR AVGVSTVS DIVI F PATER PATRI[AE], laureate head right / [C L] CAE[SARES] AVGVSTI F COS DESIG PRINC IVVEN[T], Gaius and Lucius standing, facing, holding shields and spears between them; above, on left simpulum right, and on right, lituus left.
AUGUSTUS 27 BC - AD 14 AR Denarius. 3.51g, 19.3mm MINTED: Lugdunum (Lyon) mint, 15 BC REF: RIC I 167a; Lyon 19; RSC 137 OBVERSE: AVGVSTVS DIVI F, bare head right. REVERSE: Bull butting right, left forefoot raised, lashing his tail; IMP • X in exergue. Ex. Minotaur Coins
Not sure if I'm blind, or misunderstanding something. But, I'm not spotting the "X" that is being referenced. Someone mind pointing it out?
