Ancients => King Rat => RRR => Roman Republic Rodent!!

Well, as you've probably noticed => I'm not the most scholarly Ancient coin collector ... but I do know my small, furry friends!!

=> I love collecting ancient coins with animals on 'em ... and some animals are fairly common (lions, eagles, horses, bulls, owls, etc) ... but some of our furry lil' friends are a bit more rare ...

=> and some are fricken super hard to find!! ... kinda like the common, household "RAT"!!

Yup, I just snagged my first rat-coin!! (and it is certainly tickin' a whole lotta other cool boxes!!)

=> animal coin (tick) ... rats and even a couple of horses tossed-in for style points!!

=> RR (tick) ... Bing and I love the good ol' Roman Republic silver coins!! (they're sweet)

=> weapons (tick) ... yup, nuthin' like Herc and his mighty club, eh? (a classic!!)

ENJOY!!

GENS QUINCTIA. Ti Quinctius AR Denarius
112-111 bC
Diameter: 16.5 mm
Weight: 4.0 grams
Obverse: Bust of Hercules left, wearing lion's skin headdress, club over shoulder
Reverse: Desultor, on horseback, left, a second horse beside, K behind, TI Q and rat below. D dot S dot S, incuse on tablet, in exergue
Reference: Crawford 297/1b. South of Italy mint
Other: VF+/EF SCARCE!





=> Squeeeeeeaaakkkkkk!!!

 

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That's great, lol. Why the hell a rat??

 

I kinda want one

 

ahaha ... I know, eh?

=> well, apparently the rat must not have been deemed "cool enough" to be on any/many coins!!? (and from the stories that I've heard about the good ol' ancient days, I'm pretty sure that the common garbage-eating, plague-spreading rat was probably a pretty standard household pet!!)

... but nope, "rats on coins" is a very, "very" uncommon occurence ... kinda cool, considering I just bought myself a sweet rat-coin, eh?!!

 

Really????

Excellent coin my lil buddy. Downright in the sewer (that's a good thing here). I was watching a RR coin a couple of days ago with a rat. Not this coin, but another. Funny. As you say, you don't see them often. Congrats!

 

I'm just wondering why they put a rat on the coin. Are the horses rearing because of the rat? Or are they trampling it? The rat has to mean something.

 

I was looking at an Indian Coin with a Rat.

 

The type refers to some public games. It was in the Ludi Apollinares that contests took place in which a rider raced with two horses vaulting from one to the other.

The key here is The Ludi Apollinares. They were games which were first organized in 212 BC, when C. Sulla was Praetor. Initially a vow was made to hold them only once.There is some discussion as to who officially made them annual games.
One version of events proposes that L. Varus, the praetor urbanus at the time, renewed this vow and celebrated them again in 210 BC. They were made an annual festival by a law in 208 BC by L. Varus, who was then curule aedile. A severe plague in 208 BC may have prompted the Senate to make them permanent, in honor of Apollo, who they regarded as a god of healing. From this day on, they were celebrated on July 13 and eventually grew to last 8 or 9 days.

I am surmising here that the rat refers to this plague. I may be wrong as I'm not certain the Romans knew the rodents spread the disease.

 

Wow Bing, that is a very interesting/compelling hypothesis ... I like it ( a lot!!)

... that sounds like one of those games where my Mom woulda said => "Hey, it's all fun, until somebody gets hurt!!"

 

Yours is nicer than mine but "Other: VF+/EF SCARCE!" is ridiculous. Note that the rat can face left or right. What happened under your horse. Where is the horse's front leg? I have no idea why there is a rat.

 

Neat a rat !!!! I think it would be a good name for a New York City sports team.
Yep, the New York Rats !!!!

 

ahahaha => man, I love it when you respond to my coins ...

yah, I don't think that my coin is as good, or better than your coin (I like a lot of things about your coin better than my coin) ...

Ummm however, that is not even something that we should be squabbling about, right?

=> Dude, we both have "Rat-Coins" and they're rare and they rock!!

=> Unite, brother Doug ... unite!!

 

While I like your coin, I do not like dealers or anyone to attach grading labels two grades above reasonable levels. There are dealers out there that never sell a coin less than VF even though most of their stock is F at best.

 

Oh my god => I never look at the grading!! (it's always a dog eat dog, versus other known coins!!) ... I'm not a simp!!

... ummm, does anybody ever look at the grading? (well, other than the modern dudes!! ... oh, and I love you guys!!)

 

Well, I don't care what somebody else grades the coin, if that's what you're asking. But I am very aware of what I perceive to be the grade, and it doesn't have anything to do with any purportedly standardized grading system. It has more to do with overall eye-appeal and affordability. In other words: does the coin appeal to me for the price?

But you guys know what I collect - more often than not, I could care less what a coin looks like if it presents some mystery and magic.

 

Maybe the coin was struck thru rat poop?

 

Have to admit I have never seen an ancient with a rat. I have never LOOKED, but also willsay never have seen.

Very interesting coin man!

 

RATS...i worked in rat city, a small city west Seattle, anyone from around here knows this town.....the Rats were as big as Cats...

 

a rat, i'll be darned...how cool.

 

here is my rat