Hi All, Just received this coin from JA. So this is actually my first "Authentic" Roman Republic coin. I Finally have a coin with a Quadriga on it! The reverse depiction of Libertas, The Pilleus, Vindicta and Victory, hold a lot of meaning towards Freedom and Liberty. One of my favorite themes in coin collecting. I find the Republican coins interesting. I assume the first of these were produced after the assassination of Julius Caesar. Would love to see any you have, and maybe a small synopsis of the Sybolizism/Meaning on the Reverse. This moneyer was a descendant of P. Porcius Laeca, praetor in B.C. 195.
Nice RR. I do not have the quadriga version of Laeca, but I do have this one: P PORCIUS LAECA ROMAN REPUBLIC; GENS PORCIA AR Denarius OBVERSE: Helmeted head of Roma right; P LÆCA behind, X below REVERSE: Roman soldier standing left, placing his hand on head of a citizen, lictor standing behind; PROVOCO in ex. Struck at Rome 110-109 BC 3.71g, 18.3mm Crawford 301/1; Sydenham 571; RSC Porcia 4 Ex D. Thomas collection Ex Agora Auction #63
Nice first republic. I still remember my first republic, of course, I still own it. Sex. Pompeius Fostlus. (137 B.C.) AR Denarius O: Helmeted head of Roma right; jug behind. R: The shepard Faustulus discovering the she-wolf suckling Romulus and Remus; three birds in branches of fig tree behind. Rome 19mm 3.6g Sear 112; Crawford 235/1c; Sydenham 461a; Pompeia 1a.
Great start to an interesting collecting area. You might want to pick up a book that covers RR coins. I suggest Roman Coins and their Value by David Sear. You can buy a new one from his web site for about $100 (http://www.davidrsear.com/roman_coins.html ) and he will autograph it, or you can buy the same book for half that on Amazon. Older versions sell for significantly less. Your coin was issued by M. Porcius Laeca, in 125 BC and not P. Porcius Laeca, who issued his coins in 110 - 109 BC. Bing shows the "P" coin. I do not have one yet, but would like one with the PROVOCO legend. (Definition thanks to Agora - the principle of provocatio was a procedure by which a citizen had the right to appeal to the people against the decision of a magistrate which he considered to be an abuse of official power.)
WELL done @old49er ! VERY nice AR Denarius! I have yours, and really like it in my collection: Roman Republic M Porcius Laeca 125 BCE AR Denarius Roma - * Mark of value (16 asses) below Chin Libertas in Quadriga holding pileus and rod crowned by Victory flying Sear 146 Cr 270/1 LOL, I am sorry, I cannot remember my first Roman Republic... I have a couple hundred Denarii... I will use this one as an early RR AR Denarius early purchase... RR M Furius LF Philus AR Denarius 119 BCE Janus Sear 156
Not counting Imperitorial coins, my first RR: C. GARGONIUS, M. VERGILIUS, AND OGULNIUS, ROMAN REPUBLIC AR Denarius OBVERSE: Laureate head of Apollo right, thunderbolt below REVERSE: Jupiter in quadriga right Struck at Rome 86 BC 3.86g, 19mm Cr350/2
The first Roman Republican denarii were actually struck a century and a half before Caesar was assassinated in order to pay the legions fighting Hannibal! Here's my example of the first Denarius type and my overall favorite republican in my collection at the moment. I wrote a rather overlong write up on the first denarii if you have interest. https://www.cointalk.com/threads/th...-the-first-denarius-and-its-influence.300387/ Love the new coin and glad you managed to snag a winner @old49er. Great coins all!
Thanks Curtisimo, Your coin has superb style. Very nice! That was an awesome Thread. I really enjoyed it. I Love the History behind the coins, it adds another dimension to this great hobby.
Wonderful posts everyone!!! I can't recall my first RR denarius either, especially since this is my 'second round' of collecting the type but I'll post this example as one of my first Silver denarius, Crawford 353/2, Sydenham 726, Fonteia 12, BMCRR I Rome 2483, SRCV I 273, gVF, well centered, light toning, obverse die breaks, light scratches, Rome mint, weight 3.383 g, maximum diameter 18.4 mm, die axis 180o, c. 85 B.C.; obverse laureate head of Vejovis right, thunderbolt below, EX A P (ex Argento Publico) downward behind, no moneyer's name; reverse Cupid seated on goat right, flanked by caps of the Dioscuri, thyrsus of Bacchus in exergue, all within laurel wreath; from the Andrew McCabe Collection; ex CNG e-auction 244 (10 Nov 2010), lot 383.
Can't go wrong with a classic RR quadriga! Republican coins are pretty popular with members here, and we're lucky enough to have some really knowledgeable RR collectors with truly outstanding collections. I have a relatively small collection of RR coins. This M. Plaetorius was my first; I loved the awesomeness of the flying guitar reverse and the shaggy-haired rock god bust of Bon Jovus Eventus .
Good to hear round 2 is going so well for you old49er. That's a nice RR for sure. I too have a Laeca example, worn but it has a really heavy banker's mark (in front of the chin - it is obscured by the toning and my poor photography), the heaviest in my collection - it bulges the reverse (I like banker's marks): As for my first Roman Republican coin, it was Sept. 1987, just over 30 years ago, I bought from my favorite dealer back then, William J. "Bill" McDaniels mail list, an L. Marcius Philippus - also with banker's marks (and $25.00 back then).
For some reason, I kinda like those Crawford 44 series: RR Anon AR denarius Roma 211-206 BCE ROMA incus Dioscuri single horn-helmet Sear-- correct Crawford 68-1b SICILY ISSUE RARE (was Crawford 44-5) RR Anon AR Quinarius 211-208 BC Roma Dioscuri Sear 42 Crawford 44-6 RR Anon AR Victoriatus 211-206 BC Jupiter Dioscuri FINE Sear 49 Crawford 44-1 RR Anon AE Victoriatus after 218 BCE Rome mint Ex RBW Anon Jupiter Victory crowning trophy Crawford 44-1 Syd 83 Sear 49 Fouree RR AR Sestertius After 211 BCE 12mm 1.0g Rome mint Roma r IIS - Dioscuri riding stars in ex ROMA Sear 46 Crawford 44-7 RSC 4
