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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Sulla80, post: 3237854, member: 99456&quot;]My first post on CoinTalk, I am curious to get opinions on this Roman republican denarius from M. Aemilius Lepidus</p><p>&nbsp;&nbsp; </p><p>In my view it is nicely struck, good surfaces, nicely toned, and well centered.&nbsp; It is on a 19mm flan that is only 2.6g - significantly underweight.&nbsp; The chips on the obverse suggest fourre - <b>contemporary counterfeit?&nbsp; someone at the mint stole a set of dies? some metal other than silver - a little coppery green glint in the chip? </b></p><p><br /></p><p>Is there any way to tell if the metal underneath the chip is silver or something else (without damaging the coin)?</p><p><br /></p><p><font size="4"><b>Obverse: </b></font>Laureate and veiled head of the vestal virgin Aemilia right</p><p><font size="4"><b>Reverse</b></font>: View of the Basilica Aemilia et Fulvia, as a two-storied structure with row of shields attached to the columns;&nbsp; Inscription around: AIMILIA REF S•C M•LEPIDVS</p><p><br /></p><p>Inscription: &quot;AIMILIA REFectio Senatus Consulto Marcus LEPIDUS&quot;</p><p>(Basilica Aemilia restored by Marcus Lepidus by Decree of the Senate)</p><p><br /></p><p>Michael Harlan dates this coin as 53 BC when Lepidus was curule aedile, Ptolemy XII was looking for a Roman protector for his son to secure succession, and the Basilica Aemilia had been rebuilt by his brother Paullus.&nbsp; He speculates that this small mintage coin may have been authorized by the senate to restock and repair grain warehouses damaged in the floods of 54 or some similar minor project.</p><p><br /></p><p>in 43 BC Lepidus was a member of the 2nd Triumvirate with Octavian and Marc Antony. Lepidus made a&nbsp;&nbsp; land grab in 36 which gave Octavian an excuse to get rid of him.&nbsp;&nbsp; Octavian accused him of attempting to usurp power and fomenting rebellion. Lepidus was humiliated when his legions in Sicily defected to Octavian and Lepidus was forced to submit to him. He was stripped of all his offices except that of Pontifex Maximus and sent into exile.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]846866[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]846867[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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