Some of know I have been looking for one of these for at least a year. I enlisted the help of John Anthony and Fred Shore. Alas, they could not find one in my budget range. Today I won this coin in the Artemide Aste auction out of San Marino Italy. yes the coin has an obvious flaw-a deep scratch through the head of the portrait. Still, I really like the full legend on the obverse and I think the portrait has lots of charm to it. One bonus is that I came in way under budget (yay...more coins). I already have 2 coins of JC. One is the elephant denarius and the other is a posthumous portrait. I believe the new acquisition is a significant upgrade over the first portrait denarius (although I still really like this coin). Elephant My first portrait denarius (bought from Frank Robinson) My new acquisition Julius Caesar. AR Denarius, 44 BC. Obv. Laureate head right; before, CAESAR IMP; behind, star of eight rays. Rev. P. SEPVLLIVS MACER. Venus standing left, holding Victory and sceptre (resting on star?). Cr. 480/3. B. (Julia) 32. AR. g. 3.68 mm. 19.00 RR. Rare. A very elegant portrait. Perfectly struck on broad flan. Areas of flatness and scratch on obverse, otherwise about VF. Please post your coins of Julius Caesar.
The lifetime portraits are my favourite ones struck for JC. I am glad to see you finally got an example ... and a nice one at that too!
Congrats on the acquisition, Orfew! A JC lifetime portrait denarius is an awesome coin to have and yours has a very nice portrait indeed. JULIUS CAESAR AR Denarius. 3.77g, 19mm. Rome mint, struck by L. Aemilius Buca, February - March 44 BC. Crawford 480/8; Sydenham 1061; RCV 1411. O: CAESAR DICT PERPETVO, wreathed head of Caesar facing right. R: L BVCA , Venus standing left, holding Victory and a sceptre. Ex David Sellwood Collection; Ex Seaby Coin & Medal Bulletin (1 Oct 1977) Lot 793
I like it , the scratch doesn't bother me much, and thanks to the scratch you probably got it way under budget, good for you ! congrats Only have a bronze Julius , struck 6 years after his death , issued by Octavianus.
KILLER CAESAR @Orfew ! Nice job on that last portrait! They are very tough to capture! Two photo perspectives of mine (Seller and ACSEARCH): Julius Caesar and P. Sepullius Macer. Ar Denarius March 44 BC, 19 mm. 4.1 gm. Obv: CAESAR – DICT PERPETVO Veiled and wreathed head of Caesar r. Rev: P·SEPVLLIVS – MACER Venus standing l., holding Victory and sceptre resting on star. B. Julia 50 and Sepullia 5. C. 39. Sydenham 1074a. Sear Imperators 107e. Crawford, 480/14.
LOL, agreed. MY photos are rotten. Just not the time or free space to do it. Here is an Elephant JC of mine. I like it as it was minted when he made a commitment and moved across the Rubicon. When the Elephant crossed, he kicked up a lot of mud... : RR Julius Caesar AR Denarius 49 BCE Traveling Mint Elephant-Pontificates Sear 1399 Craw 443-1
This is quite a coin. The flan is oversize and contains all of the features of its type; all the features are readily identifiable and readable; the portrait is one of the more artistic you'll find on Julius Caesar denarii; and the condition is certainly conservative at a grade of about VF. I have one of this type too, and it was the history that I found overwhelming: a coin that was struck within a month of Julius Caesar's assassination. Just mind-boggling.
Fantastic catch Orfew, unusually nice and rare! Here's my favorite, a gift from my wife. Gaius Julius Caesar February-March 44 BC. AR Denarius (19mm, 3.90 g, 5h). Rome mint. P. Sepullius Macer, moneyer. Laureate and veiled head right / Venus standing left, holding Victory and scepter; shield at base of scepter. Crawford 480/13; CRI 107d; Sydenham 1074; RSC 39. From the Jörg Müller Collection. Alföldi arranges Crawford 480 series coins in (44 BC) month order as follows: RRC 480/1, Buca - January RRC 480/2, DICT QVART - early February RRC 480/3/4/5, CAESAR IMP - late February RRC 480/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14, DICT PERPETVO - early to mid March RRC 480/17/18, CAESAR IMPER - late March RRC 480/19/20, PARENS PATRIAE - April RRC 480/15/16, MARIDIANVS - April RRC 480/21/22, CLEMENTIAE CAESARIS and Mark Antony - April
Wow @Nemo A great coin and a wonderful wife! Thanks for the Affoldi chart. That would mean mine was minted near the end of February.
Thanks very much @IdesOfMarch01 for the comments. I really like the portrait, the readable legend on the obverse, and I agree that the grade was quite conservative. I also agree with others here that the entering is remarkable. I agree with you concerning the history behind this coin. It is quite thrilling to know that I now own a coin of JC minted just a few weeks before his assassination. This is one of the main reasons I started collecting the 12 Caesars in the first place. Thanks again for the kind words.