Finally added a second coin of Augustus

I have been wanting a second coin of Augustus for over a year but I just did not find the right one...until tonight. I just won this one in a Heritage auction for what I feel is a steal of a price.

This coin demonstrates why there is more to a coin than a letter grade definition. The coin is in an NGC slab and is graded VG 5/5 Strike 2/5 surface. When I saw the coin I thought to myself "Wow, it has a great portrait full legends, and all the devices are extant and clear". That was enough for me, I had to have it. This Cistophorus of Augustus is imho a lovely rare coin. I believe as @TIF has intimated elsewhere that this coin did not bring a higher price because it did not have the magic letters AU or MS. I have found on Heritage that one can often get a deal if the slabbed coin does not have these letters. That is just fine by me. I am quite willing to accept a very nice VG into my collection. I would rather have this than an off centre vf with missing devices or legends with a poor portrait. I really like these big silver coins from this period, but there seems to be a lot of competition for them when they appear at auction.

Another interesting thing about this coin is the placement of the obverse legend. There are 8 examples of this coin RIC 493 on Acsearch. 6 of them have the legend on the left hand side of the obverse, but only 2 have it at the bottom of the coin under the portrait like mine.

Please post your coins of Augustus.

Augustus (27 BC-AD 14). AR cistophorus (25mm, 10.86 gm, 12h). NGC VG 5/5 - 2/5.Pergamum, ca. 27-26 BC. IMP •-CAE-SAR, bare head of Augustus right / AVGVSTVS, Capricorn right, head left, bearing cornucopia on back; all within laurel wreath. RIC I 493. RPC 2211.
Heritage Auctions August 30, 2018



And here is my other Augustus coin, a Capricorn reverse denarius.

 

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I would have graded it Fine since the eye separates from the face but agree with the strike and surface numbers. I also would remove the coin from the slab since I doubt a VG slab will ever draw a crowd of buyers and the coin would be prettier out in clean air. I do like it better than the denarius.

All I have for a pile on is this Antioch tetradrachm.

 

Not to worry Doug, this slab will have a short and decisive meeting with my hammer shortly after it arrives.

BTW I like that tet very much.

 

Excellent @Orfew

 

Thanks @Bing

 

Very nice @Orfew !

 

Thanks @randygeki

 

Nice coin @Orfew - congratulations.

 

Thank you James.

 

very nice addition!

 

Very nice! You have an extremely high density of capricorns in your Augustus collection.

Including Octavians I have a tall, a grande, and a venti, but no capricorns. I would certainly love to have a cistophorus like yours.

quinarius


denarius


tetradrachm

 

Awesome coin Andrew!!

Vespasian revived the Capricorn type in order to enhance his identification as the new Augustus.


Vespasian
AR Denarius, 3.21g
Rome mint, 79 AD
RIC 1058 (C). BMC 251. RSC 554.
Obv: IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG; Head of Vespasian, laureate, l.
Rev: TR - POT X COS VIIII; Capricorn l. : below, globe
Ex Berk 138, 1 June 2004, lot 224.

Titus continued it after Vespasian's death with several legend variants. This is probably my personal favourite.

Titus
AR Denarius, 3.27g
Rome Mint, 79 AD, after July 1st
RIC 20 (R2). BMC p. 227 note. RSC 282.
Obv: IMP TITVS CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M; Head of Titus, laureate, bearded, l.
Rev: TR P VIIII IMP XIIII COS VII P P; Capricorn l.; below, globe
Ex Harry N. Sneh Collection.

 

Nice example, Orfew. I've always wanted one of these and finally managed to pick one up just a couple of months ago. It was cheap, decently toned, and I liked the doublestruck legend on the reverse.

I have mine as being from the Ephesus mint, but honestly, I can't tell the difference between the Ephesus and Pergamum issues. Any idea what the stylistic giveaways are?


AUGUSTUS
AR Cistophorus. 10.97g, 28.1mm. IONIA, Ephesus, circa 25 BC. RIC 480; Cohen 16; RPC 2213. O: IMP CAESAR, bare head right. R: AVGVSTVS, Capricorn right, head left, with cornucopiae on its back, all within wreath.

 

Great acquisition, @Orfew ! Next to Julius Caesar and Nero—Augustus may be the most well known Roman emperor (to the general population and excluding students of history). Just a perception.

Edited and tweaked: 8/31/18—5:50 PM

 

Great coin, Orfew.

With all the Tets I tend to buy, I have yet to get a cistophorus.

 

Congrats on adding a cistophorus! I like denarii but the added weight and breadth really make them enjoyable to hold.

I waited for a long time to find mine, the Sphinx type which is the "key" to Augustus' cistophorus set:

 

@AncientJoe That is a wonderful coin. I have seen the Sphinx type before, but they always seem to sell quickly.

 

A cistophorus of Augustus is high on my list, well done !


Octavian, Denarius
Italian mint, possibly Rome, 31-30 BC
Anepigraph, bare head of Octavian left
CAESAR - DIVI F, Victory standing right on globe, holding wreath
3.84 gr
Ref : HCRI # 408, RCV # 1552v, Cohen # 66, RIC # 255
The following comment is taken from CNG, sale 84 # 957 :
"Following his victory at Actium, Octavian ordered a golden statue of Victory, standing on a globe and holding a wreath and palm, to be set up on an altar in the Curia in Rome. This statue had been captured by the Romans from Pyrrhus in 272 BC, and it assumed a somewhat tutelary mystique, protecting the Roman state from dissolution. In AD 382, the emperor Gratian ordered its removal. Two years later, the senator and orator Symmachus urged Valentinian II to replace it, a request that was met with stiff opposition from the bishop of Milan, Ambrose. Though it was briefly returned to its place by the usurper Eugenius, it was again removed following his defeat. Petitions to Theodosius I for its subsequent replacement were refused, on grounds that the once-important symbol of the gods’ blessing on the Roman Empire was now nothing more than a piece of paganism"




Augustus, Denarius
Colonia Patricia mint ? ca. 19-18 BC
CAESARI AVGVSTO, laureate head right
SP - QR on either side of a domed terastyle temple, in which is a chariot with aquila.
3,66 gr
Ref : RSC # 279, RIC # 119




Augustus, Denarius
Denarius struck in Lyon c.12 BC
AUGUSTUS DIVI F, Bare head of Augustus right
IMP X, Bull butting right
3.77 gr
Ref : RCV #1610, Cohen #137




Augustus, Denarius
Minted in Rome, 2 BC
CAESAR AVGVSTVS DIVI F PATER PATRIAE, Laureate head of Augustus right
AVGVSTI F COS DESIG PRINC IVVENT, Caius and Lucius holding shields and spears
3,65 gr
Ref : RCV # 1597, Cohen # 43, RIC # 207

Q

 

An attractive coin, good call!

John