The Most Expensive Denarii

More favorites of mine...


Marsic Confederation
AR Denarius
Bovianum(?) mint, 89 BCE.
3.93g, 20mm, 3h
Obv: Laureate head of Italia left, VITELIA = ITALIA in Oscan script
Rev: Soldier standing facing, head right, foot on uncertain object, holding inverted spear and sword, recumbent bull to right facing; retrograde B in exergue.
Ref: Campana 122 (same dies); HN Italy 407
Ex: Eucharius Collection.
Ex: Roma Auction 11, Lot 607



Anonymous AR Heavy Denarius - Didrachm.
Rome, circa 265-242 BCE. (first AR coin struck in Rome)
6.55g, 18mm, 6h.
Head of Roma right, wearing Phrygian helmet, cornucopiae behind /
ROMANO, Victory standing right, attaching wreath to long palm, YY in right field.
Tariffed at 10 Asses
Sear 25; Crawford 22/1; RSC 7.
Very Fine.
Ex: the Eucharius Collection
Ex: Roma Auction 11, Lot 541



Marsic Confederation denarius 89 BCE Italia-Italia seated shields victory Corfinium Campana retro B 105 HN Italy 412a Sear 228 Rare



RR Anon AR Heavy Denarius - Didrachm 275-270 BCE ROMANO Apollo Left-Galloping Horse Sear23



RI Civil War VINDEX 68-69 CE AR Denarius 3.22g Gallic mint SALVS GENERIS HVMANI Victory l globe - SPQR in wreath RIC 72 BMCRE 34-36 RSC 420 R


RI Civil War Revolt of Vindex CE 68-69 AR Denarius ROMA RESTITVTA - IVPITER LIBERATOR Jupiter seated r Tbolt Scepter 17mm 3.02g RIC I 62 RSC 374-RARE

 

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@Alegandron Thank you very much. I'm now encouraged to share a few more that are among my favorites but were not very expensive:

This one is not in Crawford. This is the anonymous version of RRC 77/1 the corn ear and crooked staff coins which are rare and valuable (see lot 664 in upcoming Bertalomi sale). The few examples without symbols are much more rare, but probably not as popular. One of three known specimens.

Apex and Hammer. RRC 59/1b. Ex. NAC 78. This one was admittedly a bit more expensive than the others here.

Dog symbol. RRC 122/2. Ex. Goodman collection. CNG 43. Very reasonably obtained in the VCoins sale 287 lot 164, September 2012.

 

Me too...


RR Anon AR Heavy Denarius -Quadrigatus - Didrachm 225-215 BCE Incuse Roma Janus Jupiter driving fast Quadriga Craw 28-3 Sear 31



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



RR Anon AR denarius Roma 211-206 BCE ROMA incused Dioscuri single horn-helmet Sear-- Craw 68-1b SICILY R

Sicily was the First Province that Rome obtained, and was when they moved from controlling the Italian Peninsula to becoming an Empire. They were an Empire under the Roman Republic for almost 200 years, before becoming a Principate / King controlled Empire under Augustus



RR Anon AR Heavy Denarius - Didrachm 310-300 BCE 20mm 7.28g Mars-Horse Romano FIRST Silver coin of Rome

 

I dunno... I could possibly toss out EVERY ONE of my Roman Republic Denarii... just really like them all!

GAIVS IVLIVS CAESAR

Last TWO Weeks of his life...

Roman Imperiatorial
Julius Caesar Lifetime
P Sepullius Macer
AR Denarius, 1st 2 weeks-Mar 44 BCE, 19 mm, 4.03g.
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.
Ref: Syd 1074a Sear Imperators 107e Crawford 480-14 Rare

- minted in last two weeks of his reign, or two weeks before he was assassinated.
- veiled, as he held the offce of Pontifex Maximus for several years, and that office was very important to him personally.
- wreathed... just short of being king... big no-no
- DICT PERPETVO - yeah, he was a king... so Roman Republic inherently and culturally hated kings.
- fairly difficult to capture with the star on reverse
- reasonably centered with most/all devices and legends (this is not as important to me cuz its numismatic vs the intrinsic Historical impact.)

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

 

I somehow didn't see this thread on Friday or over the weekend. Any list of my favorite denarii would have to be based entirely on how much I like them, with the price I paid having nothing to with the determination. (In fact, I don't even remember the price I paid for most of them, and would have to look it up.) I certainly couldn't ever pick one favorite, but here are ten of my favorite Roman Republican denarii (without full descriptions or legends or citations to references other than Crawford). I could easily have picked at least a half-dozen others that I like just as much.

I'll also try to pick some favorite Roman Imperial denarii, and post them separately in a little while.

C. Fonteius, AR Denarius, 114-113 BCE. Obv. Janiform head of the Dioscuri / Rev. Galley left. Crawford 290/1.



Q. Thermus M.f., AR Denarius 103 BCE. Obv. Mars / Rev. Roman soldier on left fighting barbarian soldier on right, while protecting fallen comrade. Crawford 319/1.



L. Pomponius Molo, AR Denarius, 97 BCE. Obv. Apollo / Rev. Numa Pompilius about to sacrifice goat. Crawford 334/1.



Mn. Fonteius C.f., AR Denarius, 85 BCE. Obv. Apollo / Rev. Cupid or Infant Genius on Goat. Crawford 353/1c.



A. Postumius A.f. Sp.n. Albinus, AR Serrate Denarius, 81 BCE. Obv. Diana / Rev. Roman priest about to sacrifice heifer. Crawford 372/1.



L. Papius, AR Serrate Denarius, 79 BCE. Obv. Juno Sospita / Rev. Gryphon. Crawford 384/1.



P. Satrienus, AR Denarius, 77 BCE. Obv. Mars / Rev. She-wolf. Crawford 388/1b.



L Lucretius Trio, AR Denarius, 76 BCE. Obv. Neptune / Rev. Cupid riding dolphin. Crawford 390/2.


Publius Fonteius P.f. Capito, AR Denarius 55 BCE. Obv Mars / Rev. Roman soldier on horseback thrusting spear at Gallic warrior below, about to slay unarmed warrior to left. Crawford 429/1.



Cn. Plancius, AR Denarius, 55 BCE. Obv. Head of Macedonia / Rev. Cretan goat. Crawford 432/1.

 

And here are some from the Roman Empire -- it's equally difficult to choose my "favorites." Some I like because of the obverse, others because of the reverse, and still others for both sides. There are others I could have chosen that I like just as much, including a few for which the photos I have simply aren't very good. Again, I've kept the identifying descriptions as brief as possible.

Tiberius / Livia as Pax. RIC I 30.



Galba / S P Q R/ O • B/ C S in wreath. RIC I 167.

Trajan / Captive Dacian in mourning. RSC II 529.



Marcus Aurelius Caesar/ Honos. RIC III 429a.



Faustina II / Infant twins (Titus Aurelius Fulvus Antoninus and Commodus) seated on pulvinar. RIC III [Marcus Aurelius] 712.



Septimius Severus / Dea Celestis riding lion. RIC IV-1 266.



Septimius Severus / Victory. RIC IV-1 499.




Julia Domna / Isis with infant Horus. RIC IV-1 577.

Horned Elagabalus / Elagabalus making sacrifice over altar. RIC IV-2 146.


Balbinus / Bearded Genius of Senate. RIC IV-2 5.

 

..indeed it is...for if we had just one favorite, we wouldnt have but one coin...

 

Fun thread!

Favorite denarius:
I feel like I have repeated this over and over and over, but the scrunched nose and furrowed brow - the closest to his marble statues that I have seen on a coin.


Most expensive:
Didius Julianus, a little south of the $1k mark, which I am sure will be broken when I finally cave and spring for Gordian I/II.


A close second place, price-wise:


Honorable mentions:

 

Like everyone else, it's very difficult to choose his favourite denarius. So here is a selection that I prefer!



https://www.colleconline.com/fr/ite...omaine-republicaine-imperiale-elagabal-denier


https://www.colleconline.com/fr/ite...romaine-republicaine-imperiale-carisia-denier


https://www.colleconline.com/fr/ite...republicaine-imperiale-volusien-denier-becker


https://www.colleconline.com/fr/ite...republicaine-imperiale-clodius-albinus-denier


https://www.colleconline.com/fr/ite...ne-republicaine-imperiale-neron-drusus-denier


https://www.colleconline.com/fr/ite...e-republicaine-imperiale-claudia-denier-incus


https://www.colleconline.com/fr/ite...ine-republicaine-imperiale-jules-cesar-denier


https://www.colleconline.com/fr/ite...le-guerres-civiles-denier-civil-wars-denarius