I'd been waiting soooo long for a coin of Quintus Crepereius Rocus. I fell head over heels for one that I stumbled upon in my collecting infancy. Yeah, once I saw her I knew I would move Olympus and Gaia until I held her in my hands. The art on the coin is certainly more Greek in appearance than Roman. It is rare to find such a lovely portrait on a Roman Republic coin. Yep, she's a beauty. And then you flip her over and get treated to one of the most fun reverses you will see on a Roman Republic coin. At a glance it is just another one of the mind numbingly boring rider on a biga...but wait! That's not any rider and those aint horses. It's our old pal Neptune, god of the sea, wielding his trident whilst riding hippocamps (a sea horse created by...you guessed it, the Greeks)! Hellllllooooo new avatar Well, she paid me a visit (and not just in my dreams this time) and I am pleased to share her... First I had to cut her out of T&Fs snazzy packaging: Creperius, Rocus Denarius. 68 BC. Uncertain mint. (Ffc-657). (Craw-399-1b). (Cal-522). Obv: Bust of the back of the Sea Goddess to the right, C to the right, to the left crab. Rev .: Neptune with trident, in biga pulled by hippocampi to the right, below Q CREPER M (F) / ROCVS. Ag. 3.61 g. Usually struck off center. Very scarce. VF. Ex: Tauler & Fau "There is barely anything known about the gens Crepereia, which makes it difficult to explain the marine imagery present on this type. Eckhel regards this coin as referring to the colony of Corinth, but Caesar did not annexe the region as a province until 44 BC, which is in disagreement with the dating of the coin. There were, however, cults at Corinth dedicated to both Neptune and Venus well into the Roman age. There are inscriptions which confirm that the gens maintained a trading presence throughout the Mediterranean, being recorded as active in the East and North Africa; it is possible the moneyer's family also had a presence at or connection to Corinth which was significant to them, but is now lost to history. The female bust on the obverse is often described as the sea-goddess Amphitrite, but in his analysis of the coin, Andrew McCabe argues that Venus is the more likely candidate to accompany Neptune. While we cannot be certain as to why the moneyer chose this particular imagery, Tacitus does relate how Neptune was less than propitious towards his descendent Crepereius Gallus who was killed in an assassination attempt against Agrippina when he boarded the self-sinking boat Nero had commissioned. was significant to them, but is now lost to history. The female bust on the obverse is often described as the sea-goddess Amphitrite, but in his analysis of the coin, @Andrew McCabe argues that Venus is the more likely candidate to accompany Neptune. While we cannot be certain as to why the moneyer chose this particular imagery, Tacitus does relate how Neptune was less than propitious towards his descendent Crepereius Gallus who was killed in an assassination attempt against Agrippina when he boarded the self-sinking boat Nero had commissioned." Now that I have her: Funny enough, when I first saw her, I thought to myself, "I hope I just spilled my IPA and that's beer running down my leg... Hey wait, I've seen that coin before...but where???" And then I remembered, a month or so before just going stone cold bonkers for a Rocus that I actually thought I had a shot at. The coin that would end up selling for a thousand more than mine!!! But check it out...a die match! She even has that strange, what almost looks like lettering above her head and along her nose (are those die breaks?). And she is safe to take home to mother. As she is a spitter. There appears to have been some wear or something coming straight out of her mouth! I would LOVE to see more of the type (as they have 10 different marine animals to the left of our beauty), more RRs that are much to beautiful to be RRs, Neptune, guesses and hippocampthesis on the unique markings on mine its its die buddy and or anything else that tunes your Nep!
..that's an outstanding republic coin Ryro!...great job! ....haha!...i just wuz listening to Bobbie Darin too ><...i'm in the 50s n 60's tonight...
Great score, @Ryro! That is a really excellent example. I love the type, and mine was one of my first RR pickups, and still a fave. ROMAN REPUBLIC AR Denarius. 3.69g, 18mm. Rome, 72 BC. Crawford 399/1b. O: Bust of Amphitrite or Venus right, seen from behind; octopus behind and E before. R: Neptune in biga of sea-horses, brandishing trident, [E?] above, Q. CREPER. M. F. ROCVS in two lines below. Ex Andrew McCabe Collection @TIF should show hers... it's not bad.
Gorgeous coin, Scooby! No wonder you changed your avatar! Thanks for introducing me to the Gaia-themed art of Deborah Jane Milton. I'm afraid I don't have anything quite so lovely, but I do have coins depicting Neptune and Hippocampi: Claudius II, AD 268-270. Roman billon Antoninianus, 4.12 g, 20.6 mm, 5 h. Antioch, 1st emission, AD 268-269. Obv: IMP C CLAVDIVS AVG, radiate and draped bust of Claudius Gothicus, right. Rev: NEPTVN AVG, Neptune, standing left, holding dolphin in right hand and trident in left hand; A in exergue. Refs: RIC 214; MER/RIC temp 1018; Cohen 183; RCV 11353; Hunter 78; Huvelin 1990, 5. Gallienus, AD 253-268. Roman billon antoninianus, 3.66 g, 21.4 mm, 6 h. Rome, AD 267-268. Obv: GALLIENVS AVG, radiate head, right. Rev: NEPTVNO CONS AVG, hippocamp swimming right; N in exergue. Refs: RIC 245K; Göbl 743b; Cohen 667; RCV 10292; Hunter 121; Cunetio 1393.
Coingrats, Ryro! I'm fond of coins with sea goddesses and sea creatures . ROMAN REPUBLIC, Moneyer Q. Crepereius M.f. Rocus 69 BCE (revised from Crawford's 72 BCE) AR serrate denarius; 3.99 gm Obv: draped bust of Amphitrite seen from behind, with head turned r.; behind, sea anemone; horizontal I to right of right shoulder (only partly visible on this coin) Rev: Neptune in biga of hippocamps right, holding reins and brandishing trident; above, I and below, Q·CREPER·M·F / ROCVS Ref: Crawford 399/1b; Babelon Crepereia 1. Sydenham 796a. Rare. from HJB BBS 200, October 2016 ex NAC 78 lot 1828, from the JD Collection of Roman Republican Coins