Won this superb Fonteia last night over at Heritage. There was very little bidding activity, perhaps because the auction was so close after NYINC. So I got it far under my max bid, which I'm of course very happy about. P. Fonteius P.f. Capito. 55 BC. AR Denarius (18mm, 3.86 g, 1h). Rome mint. Obverse: Veiled head of Concordia right, wearing stephane - P·FONTEIVS·CAPITO·III·VIR CONCORDIA around. Reverse: The Villa Publica: building consisting of two stories, each with a row of columns; the lower columns are surmounted by arches, the upper ones by a sloping roof - T·DIDI· IMP VIL·PVB in fields. Reference: Crawford 429/2a "The Villa Publica was built in 435 BC to house the censor's records. It was situated on Rome's Campus Martius, west of the city proper. According to the reverse legend the building was renovated and amplified under the Consul Titus Didius. The building was also used as an office to raise troops and for generals waiting for triumph, as well as for foreign emissaries."
Really beautiful well centered example with lovely toning. I noticed in the Heritage sale results there were a few really good values in the Roman Republican issues.
Lovely! Bidding was hit or miss in the auction, with some coins going for several times the estimate and others for less. You got a beautiful coin at a great price.
Thank you Steve! A type I've always appreciated but never saw in the quality I wanted it in until now, so I'm very happy. The prices were quite good for the earlier anonymous types and for the mid grade coins in general. The Caesar Elephant was definitely not worth what someone paid for it though.
Fantastic coin, I notice they had a few P. Fonteius all in great condition, but you definitely got a bargain.
