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<p>[QUOTE="zadie, post: 7785733, member: 114699"]I've always found this type very intriguing and when I found one whilst leisurely browsing biddr I just knew I had to get it. Lucky for me it was being offered in a budget auction and wasn't fully catalogued. I was thus able to get it relatively cheap. Couldn't be happier. Since it arrived, I've done a lot of reading and learning, having a blast while doing so! Hopefully this little write-up of mine does the type justice and can possibly ignite the interest of others. Enjoy!</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1336210[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Provincial coins of the Republic. Gaius Sosius or Augustus (?) Æ (25 mm, 17.48 g). Uncertain mint in Asia Minor. Bust of a man right / Miscellaneous array of Roman political items. From left to right: Hasta, sella questoria, fiscus. Q below. RPC I 5409; AMNG II 29. (My example)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>This enigmatic bronze dates to the late Republic. We're not entirely sure where it was minted or for whom, leaving us to speculate on its origins. It belongs to a sequence of coins with shared characteristics that were minted in three denominations: RPC 5409 and 5410 are the heaviest, with an average weight of 19.02 g and 7.46 g respectively. They both feature the same design, a bust of an unknown man on the obverse and an assortment of Roman political items on the reverse. These are often associated with the Republican office of Questor. From left to right: A hasta, sella quaestoria and fiscus. These items were all used when collecting taxes out in the provinces. The Questor would be seated on the sella and use the fiscus (latin for basket) to store the collected taxes. The hasta (a spear essentially) would indicate that this questor held imperium, the roman authority to lead armies. Below them, a "Q" signifying the previously mentioned office of Questor.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The third denomination, RPC 5411 stands out most of the three types, it features the same afformentioned bust of a man looking right but features a prow on the reverse. Below, a Q can be seen as with the previous types. It weighs on average 4.63 g.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The man being depicted has been a mystery ever since the study of these coins was first conducted. Scholars have suggested that this is either Brutus, Julius Caesar, Octavian or the Syrian governor Gaius Sosius. Obviously these issues bear no name, so we will have to dig a little to make an educated guess on what is being depicted.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Julius Caesar and Brutus were two early candidates, both having struck a variety of bronze issues in the east. The reverse showing political items highly resembles that of the questor Aesillas, who struck silver tetradrachms in Macedon during the late 90's to early 70's BC (HGC 3, 1110). The similiarities between the two have led some scholars to speculate that the series is Macedonian in origin. M. Grant, in his work <i>From Imperium To Auctoritas, A Historical Study of Aes Coinage In The Roman Empire, 49 BC-AD 14, </i>proposed that M. Acillus served as governor of Macedonia in 45/44 and struck coins with Caesar's portrait. This is only speculation however and no coins of these types have ever been found in Macedonia.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Our third candidate is Gaius Sosius, a quaestor under Mark Antony in 39. He issued coins on the island of Zacynthus bearing the legend "C SOSIVS Q". These coins coincide with the dating of the series in question, to around 39 BC. Both issues including a Q to denote that the issuer was a questor.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>And finally, Octavian, who I personally believe is the strongest candidate to solve this mystery. The find data available to us supports the mint being somewhere in Asia Minor. Looking a bit further, there are coins attributed to the region of Cilicia that show remarkable stylistic similiarities to this type. These issues depict a bust of a man looking right, with the legend “PRINCEPS FELIX”, heavily suggesting the person is Augustus. The reverse legend of these types, “VE TER/ COLONIA / IVLIA II VIR“ and “COLONIA/IVLIA, II VIR VE TER” respectively, provides us with the name of a possible mint location (See RPC I 4082, 4083).</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>RPC I 5409</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1336204[/ATTACH]</p><p>RPC I 5410</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1336205[/ATTACH]</p><p>RPC I 5411</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1336206[/ATTACH]</p><p>RPC I 4082</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1336208[/ATTACH]</p><p>RPC I 4083</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1336209[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="zadie, post: 7785733, member: 114699"]I've always found this type very intriguing and when I found one whilst leisurely browsing biddr I just knew I had to get it. Lucky for me it was being offered in a budget auction and wasn't fully catalogued. I was thus able to get it relatively cheap. Couldn't be happier. Since it arrived, I've done a lot of reading and learning, having a blast while doing so! Hopefully this little write-up of mine does the type justice and can possibly ignite the interest of others. Enjoy! [ATTACH=full]1336210[/ATTACH] Provincial coins of the Republic. Gaius Sosius or Augustus (?) Æ (25 mm, 17.48 g). Uncertain mint in Asia Minor. Bust of a man right / Miscellaneous array of Roman political items. From left to right: Hasta, sella questoria, fiscus. Q below. RPC I 5409; AMNG II 29. (My example) This enigmatic bronze dates to the late Republic. We're not entirely sure where it was minted or for whom, leaving us to speculate on its origins. It belongs to a sequence of coins with shared characteristics that were minted in three denominations: RPC 5409 and 5410 are the heaviest, with an average weight of 19.02 g and 7.46 g respectively. They both feature the same design, a bust of an unknown man on the obverse and an assortment of Roman political items on the reverse. These are often associated with the Republican office of Questor. From left to right: A hasta, sella quaestoria and fiscus. These items were all used when collecting taxes out in the provinces. The Questor would be seated on the sella and use the fiscus (latin for basket) to store the collected taxes. The hasta (a spear essentially) would indicate that this questor held imperium, the roman authority to lead armies. Below them, a "Q" signifying the previously mentioned office of Questor. The third denomination, RPC 5411 stands out most of the three types, it features the same afformentioned bust of a man looking right but features a prow on the reverse. Below, a Q can be seen as with the previous types. It weighs on average 4.63 g. The man being depicted has been a mystery ever since the study of these coins was first conducted. Scholars have suggested that this is either Brutus, Julius Caesar, Octavian or the Syrian governor Gaius Sosius. Obviously these issues bear no name, so we will have to dig a little to make an educated guess on what is being depicted. Julius Caesar and Brutus were two early candidates, both having struck a variety of bronze issues in the east. The reverse showing political items highly resembles that of the questor Aesillas, who struck silver tetradrachms in Macedon during the late 90's to early 70's BC (HGC 3, 1110). The similiarities between the two have led some scholars to speculate that the series is Macedonian in origin. M. Grant, in his work [I]From Imperium To Auctoritas, A Historical Study of Aes Coinage In The Roman Empire, 49 BC-AD 14, [/I]proposed that M. Acillus served as governor of Macedonia in 45/44 and struck coins with Caesar's portrait. This is only speculation however and no coins of these types have ever been found in Macedonia. Our third candidate is Gaius Sosius, a quaestor under Mark Antony in 39. He issued coins on the island of Zacynthus bearing the legend "C SOSIVS Q". These coins coincide with the dating of the series in question, to around 39 BC. Both issues including a Q to denote that the issuer was a questor. And finally, Octavian, who I personally believe is the strongest candidate to solve this mystery. The find data available to us supports the mint being somewhere in Asia Minor. Looking a bit further, there are coins attributed to the region of Cilicia that show remarkable stylistic similiarities to this type. These issues depict a bust of a man looking right, with the legend “PRINCEPS FELIX”, heavily suggesting the person is Augustus. The reverse legend of these types, “VE TER/ COLONIA / IVLIA II VIR“ and “COLONIA/IVLIA, II VIR VE TER” respectively, provides us with the name of a possible mint location (See RPC I 4082, 4083). RPC I 5409 [ATTACH=full]1336204[/ATTACH] RPC I 5410 [ATTACH=full]1336205[/ATTACH] RPC I 5411 [ATTACH=full]1336206[/ATTACH] RPC I 4082 [ATTACH=full]1336208[/ATTACH] RPC I 4083 [ATTACH=full]1336209[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]
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