First denarius of Augustus

There's substantial variety to Augustus's silver Imperial coinage, but at the top of my list would be a 'Caesar's comet' or 'Capricorn playing with globe'. I've been waiting for the right example of either of those, but alas, did not end up with one as my first denarius of Augustus. I blame it on my weakness for coins with Pegasus on them, and a certain P. Petronius Turpilianus, moneyer, who put the winged horsey on this one. The reverse type may lack the propagandistic punch of some of Augustus's other denarii, but I thought this was just a flat-out gorgeous coin when I saw it and I couldn't pass it up.

Please feel free to share your favorite coins of Augustus!


AUGUSTUS
AR Denarius
3.64g, 19.9mm
Rome mint, 19-18 BC, P. Petronius Turpilianus, moneyer
RIC 297 (R2)
O: CAESAR AVGVSTVS, bare head right.
R: P PETRON TVRPILIAN III VIR, Pegasus walking right.

 

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Wow, strong portrait, excellent reverse subject, and love the greys. Great coin, Z.


Augustus (27 B.C. - 14 A.D.)
AR Tetradrachm
Seleucis and Pieria. Antioch.
O: KAIΣAPOΣ ΣEBAΣTOY, laureate head right.
R: ANTIOXEΩN MHTPOΠOΛEΩΣ, Tyche seated right on rocky outcropping, holding palm frond; below, half-length figure of river-god Orontes swimming right; ςΛ (Actian Era date) above; in right field, ΔN (Caesarean Era date) above monogram (=ANTIOXIEΩN?)
Dated year 36 of the Actian Era and year 54 of the Caesarean Era (AD 6)
Antioch Mint, 5 - 6 A.D
26.4mm
14.07g
Prieur 57, RPC 4158, McAlee 187

Struck in the year that Augustus decided to banish Herod Archelaus from Judaea and set up the prefect/procurator system.

 

Very nice, Z! Pegasus is always desirable .

Augustus is still a big hole in my collection, with only a sestertius in terrible condition (received that way, part of a large mixed lot) and another poor-condition COL-NEM. Considering his importance to history, I should buy several good Octavian/Augustus coins!

Here's the sestertius:


Augustus, 27 BC-CE 14
moneyer C. Asinius Gallus, struck 16 BC, Rome.
orichalcum sestertius, 33 mm, 20.9 gm
Obv: OB CIVIS SERVATOS; wreath (CIVIS within wreath)
Rev: C ASINIVS C F GALLVS IIIVIR AAAFF around large SC
Ref: RIC I 370

I picked up two ex-McCabe Republican denarii in the same auction as your new Augustus and still haven't received them. As usual, the auction house took a long time to get them in the mail and then they were sent to the wrong country by postal sorting error . Maybe I'll receive them before Christmas.

 

I have several post-Actium Augustus denarii that I wasn't ready to part with when I sold most of my Imperial coins, but I don't have pics of them. Meanwhile, a few Octavians. I have more, but I don't want to overload this thread.




Last, one with Lepidus:



Phil Davis

 

Hey Z, there's nothing to be ashamed of with this magnificient denarius. I would gladly adopt it in my collection !
Congrats on a major acquisition

Octavian/Augustus is one of the (too many) soft spots of mine. Although it's maybe not necessary to annoy you with specimens I've shown too many times, others are worth displaying again.


Octavian & Agrippa, AE DupondiusArausio mint (Orange), 30-29 BC (Colonia Firma Julia Secundanorum Arausio)
IMP DIVI F (IMPerator DIVI Filii), bare heads of Augustus (right) and Agrippa (left), back to back
Prow of galley right, ram's head (?) enclosed in a medaillion above
17.61 gr - 28 mm.
Ref : RPC # 533
Ex. CNG e-auction #181/28, from the Patrick Villemur collection

Following comment taken from http://www.asdenimes.com/ :

Un très bel exemplaire du dupondius d'Orange. Têtes adossées d'Agrippa (à gauche) et Octave (à droite). Très beaux reliefs.
L’as (ou dupondius) d’Orange est très rare et nombre d'exemplaires connus (quelques dizaines) sont souvent de médiocre conservation. Le dupondius d'Orange préfigure le dupondius de Nîmes frappé à partir de 28/27 av. J.-C. et qui reprendra l’avers quasiment à l’identique (y compris les légendes), avec les profils d’Octave devenu Auguste et d’Agrippa. Le revers sera interprété de façon parodique sur l’as de Nîmes, puisque la galère sera remplacée par le crocodile qui garde à peu près la forme générale du vaisseau et dont l’oeil prophylactique (pas visible sur cet exemplaire) deviendra l’oeil du crocodile. On y ajoutera la palme pour former le mat et quelques autres accessoires tout aussi symboliques.
La tête de bélier représentée dans le médaillon du revers serait l’emblème des vétérans de la légio II Gallica qui a fondé la colonie d’Arausio vers 35 av. J.-C.
On distingue 2 types de dupondius d'Orange : ceux dont les portraits occupent la plus grande partie de l'avers et ceux qui montrent des têtes plutôt petites.



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 & Agrippa, AE halved dupondius struck in Nemausus, after 10 BC
3rd type
[IM]P [DI]VI F , Laureate head of Augustus right
[COL NEM], Crocodile chained to palm tree
6.70 gr
Ref : RCV #1730, Cohen # 10



Augustus, As struck in 7 BC
CAESAR AVGVST PONT MAX TRBUNIC POT, Bare head of Augustus left
M SALVIVS OTHO III VIR AAA FF, around SC
11.18 gr
Ref : RCV # 1685 var, Cohen # 516



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



Augustus, Posthumous as struck under the reign of Tiberius
DIVVS AVGVSTVS PATER, Radiate head of Augustus left
PROVIDENT, Altar, S C in field
11.02 gr
Ref : Cohen #228, RCV #1789, RIC I # 81



Augustus, Posthumous antoninianus struck under the reign of Trajan Decius, Rome mint AD 250/251
DIVO AVGVSTO radiate head right
CONSECRATIO Large altar
3.06 gr
Ref : RIC IV # 78, Cohen # 578, RCV # 9459
in qblay's catalog : AU22/P189

Q

 

Oh, those were nice! I hope they show up sooner rather than later. They were slow shipping mine out as well. Two weeks went by with them thinking I hadn't paid (even though I had, informed them that I had done so, and they had in fact received payment), so they didn't ship until I asked them to check again. Santa needs to send them some helpers.

 

You probably haven't noticed, but just ONE of your coins overloads any thread .

Those are seriously beautiful... fully understandable why you couldn't part with them.

Edit: Ah, they're Octavians, so not ones you'd be parting with anyway .

 

It is a flat out gorgeous coin, Z. Congratulations!

 

Beautiful new coin Z. Congrats.

AUGUSTUS
AR Denarius
OBVERSE: CAESAR AVGVSTVS - Bare head right
REVERSE: OB/CIVIS/ SERVATOS - Legend in three lines within oak-wreath, ties inward
Colonia Patricia mint 19 BC
3.3g, 17mm
RIC 77A, C208

AUGUSTUS (OCTAVIAN)
AE Dupondius
OBVERSE: CAESAR DIVI F, bare head of Octavian right
REVERSE: DIVOS IVLIVS, wreathed head of Julius Caesar right
Gallic or Italian mint 38 BC
30mm; 17.90 g
CR535/v1, RPC620v

 

This one passed through my store recently. What a great coin in hand it was, with a superb portrait and patina...

 

I have one like that JA, but mine has been tooled and a fake patina applied. I should add, that I got all my money returned minus the shipping and was told to keep the coin.

 

It's a damn shame, and so unnecessary. Do dealers not GET that we don't mind a little roughness or weakness on ancient coins? Hello. If we wanted perfect coins, we'd collect ASE's.

 

Poor thing !

Q

 

I have one like that too, JA. A little roughness and weakness? Check .

 

my favorite denarius

 

WOW!! 'Q', you and the 'guys' have posted wonderful examples!!

'Z', I'm still in the hunt for a Comet, Capricorn or Pegasus Type...so I'd grab either one that might come up and fall within my budget....CONGRATS!!!

My current favorite is the standard portrait obverse and Gaius/Lucius reverse type that I purchased a few months ago...

 

Wonderful coins! Kicking myself for not making a move on the one from JA.

My first and only:

Augustus Caesar, BC 27 - 14 AD
AE, As, 9.5g, 27mm; 2h; Rome mint, BC 6
Obv.:CAESAR AVGVSTVS PONT MAX TRIBVNIC POT; bare head right
Rev.: A LICIN NERVA SILIAN IIIVIR AAAFF around large SC with dot between
REF.: RIC 437 http://wildwinds.com/coins/sear5/s1676.html#RIC_0437
Moneyer Aulus Licinius Nerva Silianus, consul in AD 7, was the son of Publius Silius, consul in 20 BC, but was adopted into the family of the Licinii Nervae.

 

I wish this one was whole:

 

Zumbly, love your new coin, Pegasus a plus. i thought for a while that Augustus and Octavian were to different guys. when you see how they are used on different coins seems they are two different guys. i don't have a real denarius i have an Ancient fake.

Octavian the Zombie..

 

I have this Octavian and Anthony denarius that I'm a bit fond of: