Just won this rare Galba denarius

I have been looking for a second Galba denarius for my 12 Caesars collection. Yesterday I was able to win this one. I love it for the reverse and for the strange portrait of Galba.

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I know Virtus has appeared on another denarius of Galba, the coins of Augustus, Nero, and on some civil wars denarii. I really like the depiction of Virtus on this coin.

The coin is slabbed. The slab will have a decisive meeting with my hammer shortly after it arrives.

Please post your coins of Galba.

GALBA, A.D. 68-69. AR Denarius (3.38 gms), Rome Mint, ca. A.D. July 68-January 69.
RIC-236. "IMP SER GALBA CAESAR AVG" Laureate bust of Galba facing right; Reverse: Virtus standing facing, holding parazonium upwards and leaning on vertical spear.
NGC Ch F, Strike: 5/5 Surface: 4/5.
Provenance: From the Graywood Collection.

 

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Rare indeed, a type you do not see often among Galba's denarii.
You are right, the portrait is unusual but realistic in my opinion.
A nice coin, congratulations!

 

Nice!!

 

Huge congrats on that super cool denarius!! I LOVE the portrait and reverse!!

Since I seem to fall into a mini-niche of adding different denominations of any given ruler or region, I went after this budget example of Nero, snagging my first sestertius.....


Nero 54 - 68 AD. Sestertius, Lyons, 65 AD, AE 26,53 g. 36 mm. NERO CLAVD CAESAR AVG GER P M TR P IMP P P, Laureate head right, with large globe (later type of globe) at point of bust / S - C, Roma seated left on cuirass, holding Victory and parazonium behind her, two shields. In exergue, ROMA. Cohen 261 BMC 324 RIC 442 CBN 76.

 

Galba is some pretty unusual portraits. This one with the small cranium and bulbous honker would definitely qualify as one of those. Nice buy!

 

Great coin, love the portrait. Interesting, thats for sure.

Post my new Tet I got from JA awhile ago.


Galba, (68 - 69 A.D.)
AR Tetradrachm, 13.6, 23mm, 12h; Egypt: Alexandria, AD 68.
Obv.: ΛOY KAIΣ ΣOYΛΠ ΓAΛBA [-]; Laureate head right, LA in right field.
Rev.: AΛEΞAN - ΔPEA; Draped bust of Alexandria right wearing elephant headdress.
Reference: Dattari 298; RPC I, 5326
From the Aethelred Collection

And the usual tet.


Galba (68 - 69 A.D.)
AR Tetradrachm
SYRIA, Seleucis and Pieria. Antioch
O: AYTOKPATWP GALBA C KAICAP CEBACTOC, bare head right.
R: Eagle standing left, wreath in beak, on two laurel branches; palm to left, ETOYC B (date) below.
Antioch Mint
14.4g
26mm
RPC I 4198; Prieur 100; SNG Copenhagen 163a

 

@Orfew Great Galba! Unusual portrait and fun to have a different type! Congrats!

I have a couple:

One that fit into a Portrait Ruler Slot:


RR AR Denarius 3.88g L Pomponius Molo 97 BCE Rome Apollo Numa Pompilius stdng Lituus alter sacrifice goat Cr 334-1 Syd 607

One that satisfies my Quinarius URGE:


RI GALBA AR Quinarius Lugdunum mint laureate r Victory globe stdng left 15mm 1.5g SCARCE

 

GALBA
AR Denarius
OBVERSE: IMP SER GALBA CAESAR AVG P M - Laureate head right
REVERSE: VICTORIA P R - Victory standing left on globe, holding wreath and palm
Struck at Rome, Oct/Nov 68AD
3.2g, 18mm
RIC 234

GALBA
AE Dupondius
OBVERSE: SER GALBA IMP CAES AVG TR P laureate head right
REVERSE: PAX AVGVST, Pax standing, head left, holding branch and cornucopia, SC in fields
Struck at Rome, Oct/Nove 68 AD
13.2g, 27mm
RIC 283

 

Here are my Galbas, silver denarius and bronze from Antioch. The portraits are more traditional and offer a similarity with the notorious General Flynn, ex of the Trump team !

 

Really nice coins all! I have yet to get a Galba for my collection.

 

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a bit overpriced for my taste for F example

 

Nice coin and a very distinctive portrait for sure.

 

I disagree. I think I got it for a very good price considering its rarity. Very few of these have come up for sale.

 

I see, well I guess everyone has different approach to collecting: to me its more about quality than rarity. Congrats then!

 

I disagree again. Quality and rarity are not mutually exclusive. Yes it is a rare coin but it is also a good quality coin. I will be happy to have this in my 12 Caesars collection. I only collect quality coins. We might disagree on the definition of what this means but for you to denigrate my coin by implying that it is not a "quality" coin is insulting.

 

Thank you. I think that this emperor's portrait (old general) is worth adding in a Roman coin collection.

 

I would very much prefer that high quality Fine to many of the boring and ugly EF 3/5 coins you see. I do not have a Galba denarius and am holding out for the right one for my tastes --- probably a Spanish mint with really bizarre portrait. Years ago when money was really tight, I got a sestertius that had been carried for years as a pocket piece. I wonder what it looked like when he started the 'pocket smoothing'. The seller then dated it to c. October 68. Does anyone know the evidence that allows these to be dated closer than just during his reign?


The as came later. The jaw and low price attracted me but it really is not impressive sitting next to any big Galba sestertius. 68-69 was about as big as they got so there are some really impressive Galba, Vitellius and early Vespasians out there.

 

no insults intended, i just simply expressed my opinion on the quality of the coin. Now, definition of the quality is subjective, i just expressed my OWN opinion on the price of this specific piece. You have your own opinion and its fine, just do not present this as an insult.. Is below F grade coin a quality coin for example?

 

Wow! That's a highly unusual portrait of Galba. Well centered and the legends are fully delineated on a large flan. I wonder if all the RIC 236 examples of this type (which is fairly rare) have the same portrait of Galba.

My denarius is more conventional, and the Virtus reverse is rendered somewhat differently:



GALBA 68 - 69 A.D.
AR Denarius (3.71 gm.) Tarraco (?) April - late 68 A.D. RIC 64
SER GALBA IMP CAESAR AVG P M TR P Laureate head of Galba, globe at point of bust Rev. VIRTUS Virtus wearing short tunic and cuirass stg. l., holding Victory on globe.