Today is that fateful day upon which Julius Caesar was assassinated, 2,069 years ago in 44 BC. Post your JC coins, if you have them! I wanted mine to be an example struck in Caesar’s lifetime, not a posthumous issue. I also wanted it to be Fine or better, with reasonable eye appeal, a decent portrait, and most or all of Caesar’s name legible on the flan. In other words, I wanted a “happy medium” coin that was nice enough to meet the criteria above, but not TOO nice and therefore unaffordable to me. For a while I had trouble striking the right balance and came up as the underbidder in several auctions, but finally won this one in a European auction (thankfully before all that tariff stuff started). It has a slightly ragged flan and a banker’s mark, but I was ready to accept those and chalk them up as “character”. I was satisfied with the outcome when I submitted it to NGC. This coin has not only Caesar’s name visible but also his DICT PERPETVO (“Perpetual Dictator”) title. Furthermore, it was struck in February to March of 44 BC, within just a few weeks of the assassination.
Iulius Caesar. Denarius Spain 46-45, AR 18mm., 3.68g. Diademed head of Venus r.; behind, Cupid. Rev. Two captives seated at sides of trophy with oval shield and carnyx in each hand; in exergue, CAESAR. Babelon Julia 11. C. 13. Sydenham 1014. Sear Imperators 58. RBW 1639. Crawford 468/1. Toned, test cut on edge on obv.; otherwise Very Fine. Ref Julius Caesar RSC 49 denarius Julius Caesar. 49-48 BC. AR Denarius. CAESAR in exergue, elephant right, trampling on serpent / Simpulum, sprinkler, axe and priest's hat. Cr443/1; Syd 1006; BMCRR (Gaul) 27. Julius Caesar Denarius. 47-46 BC, mint in Africa. Diademed head of Venus right / CAESAR, Aeneas walking left, carrying Anchises and the Palladium. Cr458/1, Syd 1013.