January - Post a Janus Coin!

Greetings for the New Year everyone!

It is January - Month of Janus (IANVS) ... Please post any of your JANUS coins!

This was struck early in the Second Punic War, and probably during the NADIR of the Roman Republic. Disaster struck, with Hannibal smashing Roman Army after Army... culminating in the Battle of Cannae... The PERSERVERED and went on to defeat Carthage.

We can look forward to 2020 hopefully being our Nadir... we look forward to everything looking UP!


RR Anon AR Heavy Denarius -Quadrigatus - Didrachm 225-215 BCE Incuse Roma Janus Jupiter Cr 28-3 S 31


It is January... Please post any of your JANUS coins!

 

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The longest month of the year, I’m always looking forward to February first.

 

Definitely better looking Janus than mine.. Anonymous, 211-206 BC, bronze as (struck), 32mm, 40.64g
Obverse: Laureate head of bearded Janus, 'I' above
Reverse: Prow of galley r., 'I' above, ROMA in ex.
Reference: Syd 143, SME 627, Cr 56/2
Grading: VF / F , sporadic rev. pitting, mostly even tan surfaces

 

So jealous of that beauty Gandy. I've been chasing one of those early Roman beauties for sometime.
I read the op as Janis or janiform:

 

Ever since I started collecting ancients, I've loved this iconic coin of the Roman Republic. Although outside my main focus of the 12 Caesars and Hadrian, I couldn't resist acquiring one of these two years ago:



Anonymous ca. 225 - 214 BC
AR Didrachm - Quadrigatus 22mm, 6.65 g., 5h Rome
Crawford 28/3, Sydenham 64a

Laureate head of Janus; curved truncation. Rev. Jupiter hurling thunderbolt w. right hand, holding scepter in left hand, in quadriga r. driven by Victory; ROMA in exergue incuse on solid tablet. Ex Gasvoda collection.

 

Pompey the Elder minted 46-45 BC 14.45 grams.
CN.MAG above prow. Crawford 471/1.
Excellent quality for this type


ROMAN REPUBLIC
(circa 145 BC)
Anonymous As 21.13 grams
Obv: Bearded head of Janus
Rev: Bow of galley on the right
Below - Roma (Rome)

 

Beautiful coins... here is the Temple of Janus..


Nero. A.D. 54-68. Æ as. 9.7 gm. 28 mm. Rome mint. Struck circa A.D. 67. His laureate head right; IMP NERO CAESAR AVG GERM / The Temple of Janus, garland hung across closed doors to left, latticed windows on right; PACE P R VBIQ PARTA IANVM CLVSIT around

 

In 35 BC Sextus Pompey reissued the type with the recognizable face of Pompey the Great and legend MAGN / PIVS 14.41g

 

@Alegandron if you ever happen to see one like yours at a decent price send me a pm please.
I would love to have such a beautiful coin like yours, now I got to find one !


Excellent looking coin @dougsmit

 

Everyone, you have posted wonderful coins! I enjoy them ALL. Thank you.

From my earliest learning about Roman History, the Janiform impressed me as their symbol.

Here is a Janiform from the Troy area ...


Troas Tenedos late 5th-early 4th C BCE AR Obol 8mm 0.60g Janiform Hera-Zeus - Labrys within incus sq RARE SNG Ash 1235 HGC 6 387

 

Happy New Year!

Good idea for a thread. Here's a couple from my collection:



Anonymous Aes Grave. Circa 215-212 BC. Æ Aes Grave As (83.51g). Post Semi-Libral standard. Rome mint. Laureate head of bearded Janus on a raised disk / Prow of galley left; I (mark of value) above; all on a raised disk. Crawford 41/5a; Sydenham 101; Vecchi 105; Haeberlin pl. 49-50.



Anonymous Quadrigatus. Circa 225-214 BC. AR Didrachm – Quadrigatus (6.61g, 22.0mm, 6h). Rome mint. Laureate head of Janus / Jupiter, hurling thunderbolt with right hand and holding scepter in left, in quadriga right driven by Victory; in exergue, ROMA raised on outlined tablet. Crawford 29/3; Sydenham 64d;

 

Roman Republic
M Furius LF Philus
AR Denarius
119 BCE
Janus
Trophy Carnyx
Cr 281-1 Sear 156

 

KILLER Quadrigatus!

 

M FURIUS Lf PHILUS ROMAN REPUBLIC
AR Denarius
OBVERSE: Laureate head of Janus; M•FOVRI•L•F around
REVERSE: Roma standing left erecting trophy, gallic arms around, ROMA to right, PHLI in ex.
Struck at Rome, 119 BC
3.81g, 18.35mm
Crawford 281/1, Syd 529, BMCRR (Italy) 555, Furia 18

 

I would love to have one of those didrachms!

Here's my example of the Roman Republican Janus that several others have posted in this thread:

Roman Republic, M Fovri L.f. Philus, AR Denarius 119 BCE. Obv. Laureate head of Janus, M•FOVRI•L•F around / Rev. Roma with Corinthian helmet standing left holding scepter, crowning trophy surmounted by helmet and flanked by carnyx and shield on each side, Gallic arms around; star above, ROMA to right, PHLI in exergue. RSC I Furia 18 (ill.), Crawford 281/1, Sydenham 529, Sear RCV I 156 (ill.), BMCRR Italy 555. 20.13 mm., 3.66 g. [According to Crawford (Vol. I p. 297), this reverse probably refers to "the defeat of the Allobroges and Arverni and the triumphs of 120."]



This one isn't really Janus himself, but the Janiform heads of the Dioscuri. Nonetheless:

Roman Republic, C. Fonteius, AR Denarius, 114-113 BCE. Obv. Laureate, Janiform head of the Dioscuri, control mark N under left chin [mark of value * (= 16) under right chin is worn off], one dot beneath head / Rev. Galley left with three rowers, gubernator (pilot) at stern, rudder beneath stern, apotropaic eye on side, three-pronged ram with wolf’s head above extending from prow, banners/streamers extending from stern, C • FONT above (N and T in monogram), ROMA below. Crawford 290/1, RSC I Fonteia 1 (ill.), Sear RCV I 167 (ill.), Sydenham 555. 20 mm., 3.90 g. Ex: Auctiones GmbH, eAuction 67, Lot 55, 15 March 2020; Ex: CNG Auction May 2012, Lot 293; Ex: Bruce R. Brace Collection.*



* According to H.A. Seaby in RSC I (at p. 48), the Janiform head on the obverse relates to the origins of the Fonteia gens -- which claimed as its founder Fons or Fontus, supposedly the son of Janus -- and the galley on the reverse relates to the naval exploits of the moneyer’s ancestor P. Fonteius Capito, who was praetor in Sardinia in 169 BCE. Crawford disagrees. (See Vol. I at p. 305.) He states that there is no good evidence for the existence of Fontus, and that the Janiform head should instead be regarded as that of the Dioscuri, because the gens Fonteia came from Tusculum, the chief cult-center of the Dioscuri in Latium. Crawford also states that the reverse is “doubtless” an allusion to the transmarine origin of Telegonus (the son of Ulysses and Circe), who was the legendary founder of Tusculum. Sear agrees with Crawford.

 

And if bcuda doesn't want it please pm me

A full-body Janus on a Denarius:

Rome, 211 AD
18.5 x 20 mm, 3.035 g
RIC IV Geta 79; BMC.422.12; RSC 197;

Ob.: P SEPT GETA PIVS AVG BRIT Laureate bearded head right

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Rev.: TR P III COS II P P Janus, in himation, nude to waist, standing front, looking left and right, drapery over left arm, holding scepter (or spear) in right hand and thunderbolt in left hand

​

 

Alegandron, After seeing your beautiful Archaic period Obol of Tenedos, I'm compelled to post again for comparison a Slavey (the Bulgarian) replica of a later period Tet from Tenedos, struck (actually pressed) in pure gold. Despite being a renown forger, Slavey is a talented artist . I bought my replica from a CNG auction long ago.

 

Many lovely cointypes depicting Janus


Republic, As - Rome, circa 211-206 BC
No legend, head of janus
Prow of galley right, ROMA at exergue, I above galley
37.22 gr
Ref RCV # 627

Q

 

Here's another full-body standing Janus. I do wish the faces were clearer on it.


ANTONINUS PIUS
AE Sestertius. 26.86g, 33.2mm. Rome mint, AD 140. RIC 644 (scarce); Cohen 881; BMCRE 1317. O: ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P, laureate head right. R: TR POT COS III, Janus standing facing, heads facing left and right (...duh), holding sceptre in right hand; S-C across fields.

 

Listed as Macedon. Thessalonica circa 187-131 BC by the auction house

Not sure about the correct attribution as this is 20 mm., 5,19 g. and what I found are 26-27 mm and double weight.
Not sure if the figures on the reverse are centaurs or Dioskouroi.