quinarius of L. Calpurnius Piso Frugi

I have a web site on the quinarius denomination:

http://augustuscoins.com/ed/quinarius/

I just added this example to it:



L. Calpurnius Piso Frugi, 90 BC
15 mm. 1.99 grams.
Apollo head right, IIII control mark behind
Victory standing right (with very large wings), holding palm brach over shoulder
L PI - SO either side
FRVGI in exerge
Crawford 340/2e [/2a to /2g have minor varieties in what Victory holds and where the letters are]
Sear I 236. King Roman Quinarii 42


There are not many Republican types (but lots of varieties) and most are not rare or expensive. However, there are very many rare or very rare imperial types. I doubt if in ten years you would see even half the types offered. It took me 35 years to get my first imperial quinarius!

Show us a silver quinarius (copper of Allectus does not count; they are not really quinarii)!

 

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Trajan Ar Quinarius Rome Rv. Victory adv right. RIC 133 King 4 Woytek 372bC
107-111 A.D. 1.60 grms 14 mm

 

Heh-heh-heh... I will toss out a curveball...

PRE-REFORM of 211 BCE QUINARII
Tariffed at 5 Asses:


RR Anon Ca 240 BCE AR Heavy Quinarius / Drachm 16mm 3.0g Rome Helmet Hd Mars r - Horse’s hd sickle Craw 25-2 Syd 25 RSC 34a Rare



RR Anon AR Heavy Quinarius / Half Quadrigatus / Drachm 216-214 BCE Janus ROMA Jupiter Victory Quadriga LEFT Craw 29-4 Sear 35



RR Anon AR Heavy Quinarius / Drachm / Half Quadrigatus 225-212 BCE 3.1g 18mm Janus Jupiter in Quadriga L Victory ROMA Craw 28-4 Sear 35 SCARCE

 

T CLOULIS ROMAN REPUBLIC; GENS CLOULIA
AR Quinarius
OBVERSE: Laureate head of Jupiter right
REVERSE: T CLOVLI, Victory crowning trophy on top of Gaulish captive
Struck at Rome 98 BC
2.1g, 13mm
Cr332/1, Syd 586, Cloulia 2

C. EGNATULEIUS ROMAN REPUBLIC; GENS EGNATULEIUS
AR Quinarius
OBVERSE: Laureate head of Apollo; behind, C. EGATVLEI C. F. Q.
REVERSE: Victory l., inscribing shield attached to trophy; beside trophy, carnyx; between Victory and trophy, Q; in ex
Struck at Rome, 97 BC
1.6g, 18mm
Crawford 333/1, Egnatueleia 1, Syd 588

M. PORCIUS CATO; GENS PORCIA
AR Quinarius
OBVERSE: M • CATO • PRO • PR, wreathed head of Liber right
REVERSE: Victory seated right, holding palm branch over her left shoulder and patera in her right hand, VICTRIX in ex
Utica, Africa 47-46 BC
1.4 g, 13 mm
Cr462/2, Porcia 11

AUGUSTUS
AR Quinarius
OBVERSE: IMP VII CAESAR - Bare head right
REVERSE: ASIA RECEPTA - Victory standing left on cippus, holding wreath and palm, snake on either side
Uncertain Italian Mint 29-27 BC
1.7g, 13mm
RIC 276, S 1568

 

..my one & only quinarius ..(thus far)..altho i did win a "friggy' denarius today M Cato quinarius, Roman Republic 89 BC

 

Social War with the Marsic Confederation 90-88 BCE (actually, inadvertent military collisions started the late Fall of 91 BCE), caused Rome to scramble to pound out money to finance the War... Bunches of Quinarii were minted...

90 BCE

RR Q Titius AR Quinarius 90 BCE PEGASUS Sear 240


89 BCE

RR AR Quinarius 89 BCE M Porcius Cato Crawford 342-2. Sear 248


88 BCE

RR Cn Lentulus Clodianus 88 BCE AR Quinarius Jupiter Victory crowning trophy Craw 345-2 S 255

 

Augustus, Quinarius
Carisius issued a Quinarius featuring Victory crowning a military trophy with a wreath in the immediate aftermath of the initial Cantabrian ‘victory’, reminiscent of an issue by Marius in celebration of his Cimbric victory. Marius may have established a model for those who followed, thus exercising influence over the coins of Carisius. The Cantabrian wars of the early years of the Principate credited Augustus with a western victory to complement his Actian success in the east. In this way, iconographical references to the Cantabrian Wars in Carisius’ coinage reinforce a claim to Augustus' world-wide pacification.

Colonia Emerita, ca. 25 - 24 BC
11 x 12 mm, 1.49 g;
Ref.: RIC 1B; RSC 387;

Ob.: AVGVST Head of Augustus, bare, left
Rev.: P CARISI LEG Victory standing facing right, crowning with wreath a trophy of captured arms, dagger and curved sword at base

​

 

Ar Quinarius 214-213 B.C. Obv Head of Roma right, V behind Rv Dioscuri galloping right Cr 44/6 RBW 175 2.16 grms 14 mm

 

I've been actively looking for the OP quinarius for decades. It's amazingly hard to find examples that fit my collection, but they do exist. Since Crawford includes seven varieties of 340/2 and I have precisely none of them, this gap will surely outlive me.

Meanwhile, here's my example of Crawford 73/2 with a dolabella (hatchet) below the twins. This is a genuinely rare coin, missing even in the nearly complete BN collection. I'm loath to use terms like "finest known," since we have no real idea what's lurking in unpublished collections public and private, but to my eye this coin is clearly better than any of the handful of examples I'm aware of, so I think it's fair to put it in the "finest known" discussion anyway.

Phil Davis

 

You said "no copper," but perhaps you can excuse my inclusion of this late pre-reform example of Diocletian which has a reasonable claim to actually being a quinarius, though possibly a denarius (1.83g):

I don't have the King book and would be grateful to know her catalogue number and any comments she has about this coin. (It's RIC 195.) The lack of a second G on the reverse suggests it was issued before Maximian's elevation.

Like this, the first in Warren's "second period":

C. Fundanius, issued c. 101 BCE


I have a few "third period," but my favourite is this example of the common Octavian ASIA RECEPTA:

 

King Roman Quniarii, Rome Diocletian 19 page 413 and plate 35. "first issue" when "Diocletian was sole ruler" page 226.

 

Very nice, Phil ! Congrats. Very cool...

 

Thanks so much!

 

Octavian Ar Quinarius Italian mint possibly Rome RIC 276 CRI 429 29-28 B.C. Rv.Victory stg left on cista mystica flanked by serpents. 1.76 grms 13 mm

 

Thanks @Valentinian for sharing the link and the enviously good looking L. Calpurnius Piso Frugi quinarius. A few favorite quinarii - three Republican, one Imperial:

Roman Republic, Anonymous AR Quinarius, 211 BC
Mint: Rome
Obv: Helmeted head of Roma right; V behind.
Rev: The Dioscuri on horseback to right, ROMA in linear frame in exergue.
Ref: Crawford 44/6; Sydenham 141; RSC 3.
Size: 15.6mm, 2.21g (1/2 denarius, weight standard based on denarius weight of 4.5g)

Roman Republic, Anonymous AR Quinarius 211-208 BC
Obv: Helmeted head of Roma right, V (mark of value) behind
Rev: Dioscuri on horseback riding right
Ref: Crawford 68/2b

C. Fundanius, 101 BC, AR Quinarius, Rome mint, 14mm, 1.88g
Obv: Laureate head of Jupiter right; behind control mark, border of dots
Rev: Victory standing right holding palm branch in left hand, and with right crowning trophy, beside which stands carnyx; before which kneels a Gallic captive with hands tied behind back; on right C FUNDA upwards, in exergue Q, border of dots.
Ref: Crawford 326/2; Fundania 2.
Crawford writes: "The Gallic carnyx...makes the reverse type as a whole a clear reference to Marius' victories over the Cimbri and Teutones".
Augustus, 27 B.C.-A.D. 14 AR quinarius (14 mm, 1.65 g).
Minted in Emerita Augusta, (modern Merida, Spain) circa 25-23 BC P. Carisius, legate
Obv: AVGVST, bare head of Augustus right
Rev: P CARISI LEG, Victory standing right, crowning trophy with wreath
Sear writes: P Carisi founded the Colony in 25 BC for the veterans of legion V Alauda, and X Gemina, who had recently participated in Augustus' campaigns against north-western Spain.

 

I was very pleased to come across my Frugi with virtually no bidding war ensuing (gosh these lil guys are hard to shoot on an iPhone):

L. Calpurnius Piso Frugi.
Quinarius 90, AR 15 MM 1.8 g. Laureate head of Apollo r.; below chin, N. Rev. L·P – ISO Victory standing r., holding wreath in r. hand and sword and spear in l.; in exergue, FRVGI. Babelon Calpurnia 13. Sydenham 672c. RBW –. Crawford 340/2f.



T. Cloelius
98 BC. Rome Quinarius AR 15mm., 1,60g.
Laureate head of Jupiter right, B below / T CLOVI, Q, Victory standing right, crowning trophy, before trophy, bound captive seated left.
nearly very fine. Crawford 332/1a. Former Savoca

 

I have a Piso...


RR L Calpurnius Piso Frugi AR Quinarius 90 BCE 13 mm 1-93 g 2 h Rome Laureate head of Apollo right uncertain symbol behind Victory advancing right holding wreath and palm Cr 340-2 Calpurnia 13

 

Imperial AR Quinarii

VESPASIAN:

RI Vespasian 69-79 CE AR Quinarius VICTORIA AVGVST Victory std L Rare


GALBA


GALBA 68-69 BCE
AR Quinarius 15mm, 1.5g; Lugdunum mint
Ox: SER GALBA IMP CAESAR AVG P M TR, laureate head right
Rx VICTORIAE GALBAE AVG, Victory on globe standing left
RIC 131 scarce
Ex @Brian Bucklan


CARACALLA

RI Caracalla 198-217 AR Quinarius CE 213 1.3g 13.6mm Laureate - Victory Wreath Palm RIC IV 101 RSC 450 RARE


HADRIAN

RI Hadrian AR Quinarius 1.30g, 14mm Rome, AD 119-122 cuirassed laureate COS III Victory seated wreath palm RIC 108a

 

My poorly photographed Piso quinarius below. Knife symbol. A mediocre example, but relatively complete for the type.

 

Looks pretty nice to me

As I am still stuck on quinarii - here is one more (maybe two depending on how we count):

Q. Titius, Quinarius 90, AR 2.06g 12.5mm
Obv: Draped bust of Victory right
Rev: Pegasus prancing right; below, Q TITI
Ref: Titia 3, Sydenham 693, Crawford 341/3

And although this may be a bit off track - a Himyar coin that also gets tagged as Quinarius :

Arabia Felix, Himyarites, AR scyphate quinarius
'MDN BYN YNF (Amdan Bayyin Yanaf), c. 80-100 AD, RYDN denotes the Royal palace at Ẓafār
Obv. Male head right within torc.
Rev. 'MDNIBYN around, RYDN in exergue, small head right; "sceptre" symbol before; YNF monogram behind.
Size: 1.27g 14mm