Your favorite republican design

Nnniiice...

 

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I don't think I've ever even seen that one before. What a great coin.

 

Me neither. I’m kinda curious about the story behind it.

 

Umm...yeah, @Carthago 's coin is considered Very Rare ...

 

@svessien interesting thread and question. My favorite has something to do with the best example in my collection vs. the best "out there".
My favorite in silver:

Metellus denarius
My favorite in cast bronze:

Roma Wheel As
@Carthago @Fugio1 wow, great coins!

 

C. Coelius Caldius Ar Denarius Crawford 437/1b RBW 1550 This coin illustraded 51 B.C. Obv. Head of Caldius rignt. Rv Head of Sol right 4.00 grms 18 mm Photo by W. Hansen

 

I’m sorry, Alegandron, but I have problems understanding this reply. What does the coin bein rare have to do with its history or design? Or was it a response to Donna and me not having seen it before?

I found this coin under Scipio on coinarchives:
«Q. Caecilius Metellus Pius Scipio. Silver Denarius (3.94 g), 47-46 BC. Utica. P. Licinius Crassus Junianus, legatus pro praetore. Q METEL PIVS SCIPIO IMP, The lion-headed Genius of Africa (Sekhmet) standing facing, holding ankh; above, G T-A (Genius Tutelaris Africae). Reverse: P CRASSVS IVN LEG PRO P R, Victory standing left, holding winged caduceus and small round shield. Crawford 460/4; HCRI 43; Sydenham 1050; RSC 51. Rare. Lightly toned. NGC grade Ch VF*; Strike: 4/5, Surface: 4/5. Value $7,000 - UP
After Pompey's defeat by Caesar at Pharsalus (Greece) in 48 and then his subsequent murder, his followers gathered in Africa and several of them struck coinage on their own account. One of them was Metellus Scipio who produced five issues; one alone, three others with the legate Junianus as here and the fifth with M. Eppius. It is uncertain whether his use of IMP on all of them indicated that he had actually been hailed as imperator by his troops or was meant to justify his coinage. It was Metellus Scipio who disclosed to Cicero the Cataline conspiracy, was consul with Pompey in 52, and governor of Seleucia in 49. He commanded the center line of Pompey's army at Pharsalus, after which he fled to Africa and formed an alliance with Juba, King of Numidia. Metellus Scipio was a Cornelius Scipio who was adopted into the Caecilius clan and was therefore related to Scipio Africanus who defeated Hannibal at Zama in 202 and won the Second Punic War. He appeared to believe that the cognomen Scipio (scepter) held some power. All of his coinage, filled with symbols of hoped-for victory, is pathetically true to its author's belief in the 'felix et invictum Scipionum nomen' (per Seutonius: 'the good luck and invincibility of the name Scipio'). This belief was overcome by the greater felicitas of Caesar, who defeated him at Thapsus (Tunisia) in BC 46»
https://www.coinarchives.com/a/lotv...&Lot=173&Val=fc30b6c1f72dc6e56b80e8f96b3a89c9

I reckon that P. Licinius Crassus Iunianus is the same Crassus who was moneyer in 55 BC, the son of triumvir Crassus? It’s a very interesting coin, as are many from those turbulent years.

 

Nice coin. C.Coelius sure is exploiting his ancestry here, both from the heroic grandfather and even Sol herself. He didn’t make it further than quaestor the year after, however

 

This is one of my current favorites

Q. Fufius Kalenus and Mucius Cordus AR Serrate Denarius. Rome, 70 BC.

Jugate heads right of Honos, laureate, and Virtus, wearing crested helmet; KALENI below, HO behind, VIRT before

Italia standing right, holding cornucopiae, and Roma standing left, foot on globe and holding sceptre, clasping hands; winged caduceus and ITAL monogram behind Italia, RO behind Roma, CORDI in exergue.

Crawford 403/1; BMCRR Rome 3358-63; RSC Fufia 1.

 

I’m revoking this thread with an update. Ever since Donna and Doug posted their Plautius Plancus coins, I’ve been thinking that that’s a coin I really want. It’s definitely a design winner.
My coin is porous and with encrustacions. I still think it’s a nice coin, as it is fully centered and with an even strike on both sides. These coins often have one problem or another, and if not they are quite costly.



L. Plautius Plancus, 47 BC. Denarius (Silver, 18.5 mm, 3.71 g, 10 h), Rome. L PLAVTIVS Head of Medusa, facing, with coiled snake to either side. Rev.PLANCVS Victory (or winged Aurora) flying right, head turned slightly to the left, holding reins and conducting the four rearing horses of the Sun. Babelon (Plautia) 15. Crawford 453/1a. Sydenham 959. Unusually well centered and with a full reverse. With rough surfaces and marks on the obverse, otherwise,very fine.

Auctioneers description (nomos)

 

I like the coins of L. Plautius Plancus too, but unfortunately, I don't have one. In fact, I have very few Republican coins.

Here are some of my current favourties.

L. Marcius Philippus AR Denarius

M. Herennius AR Denarius

 

Very nice, @Romancollector I like em both!

 

Another favorite



Faustus Cornelius Sulla AR Denarius. Rome, 56 BC.

Draped bust of Diana right, wearing diadem with crescent; lituus behind, FAVSTVS downwards before / Sulla seated left on platform above kneeling figures of Bocchus, king of Mauretania, on left who offers an olive branch and Jugurtha, king of Numidia, on right, his hands tied behind his back; FELIX downwards to right.

Crawford 426/1; RSC Cornelia 59.

4.02g, 19mm, 7h.

Extremely Fine.

Ex Javier Paris Collection.

 

Agreed! That was my first «expensive» Republican coin, quite some time ago.
The reverse is described as a copy of Sullas signet ring.

 

I've got one too, though a bit weakly struck.


ATB,
Aidan.

 

Some Roman Republic Designs I like:


RR Anon AR Heavy Denarius -Quadrigatus - Didrachm 225-215 BCE Incuse Roma Janus Jupiter Cr 28-3 S 31



RR 265-242 BCE AR Heavy Denarius - Didrachm Roma-Victory Crawford 22-1 Sear 25 Eucharius Rare



RR 234-231 BCE AR Heavy Denarius - Didrachm Apollo-Horse prancing Crawford 26-1 Sear 28



RR Anon AR Heavy Denarius - Didrachm 310-300 BCE 7.3g 21mm Mars-Horse ROMANO - FIRST Cr 13-1 Left

 

This coin may not be my most favorite Republican denarius but I think it is the best design ever struck for Julius Caesar. Caesar Ar Denarius 47-46 BC Obv Diademed head of Venus right Rv, Aeneas carrying Anchises and palladium. Crawford 458/1 CRI 55 3.85 grms 17 mm Photo by W. Hansen What I like is the care taken in the modeling of the face of Venus. To often during this period the images of women take quite a beating and it is refreshing to see an artist trying to capture the beauty of his subject on this tiny canvas. The image on the reverse is also quite well executed. One gets a feeling for the strength of Aeneas and the frailty of his father. In all a well executed coin from a very trying time

 

Very nice coin there, @Terence Cheesman . It’s also quite remarkable that these coins were struck by a military mint, which often produced rather crude designs (at least to my knowledge).

 

The reverse of that issue is a beautiful design. Although on some issues of this type, the head of medusa on the obverse looks like someone belonging to the "volk van laaf" (google that).

I have to admit I'm not very familiar with all the designs of the republican era. Some issues that impress me are shown here in this thread, many designs are attractive. I enjoy the two coins of mine of the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, one of which is shown below. Of the imperatorial era (and/or republican?), one of the designs I find very impressive, is a denarius of Sextus Pompey, and Q. Nasidius. The reverse shows four galleys engaged in naval combat. It's really rare and will forever be unavailable for me. But lucky for us, we have the internet

Photo borrowed from NAC

here's my coin of the temple Jupiter Capitolinus: