New Coin - Augustus and his Caesars

In my 10 years of collecting ancient coins I had yet to expand my collection to the more popular eras of Roman history that command the highest demand/prices, until now. The earliest Roman coin I had up to this point was a sestertius from Marcus Aurelius and I was mostly focused on coins from the later empire, so it was about time I got a coin from the man who started it all at last.

I'm sure this denarius from late in Augustus' reign will be very familiar to a lot of people on this website. It's of course spreading the message that there are two capable heirs, Gaius and Lucius, ready to take over once Augustus finally passes away only for both of them to tragically die first, leaving the princeps no choice but to reluctantly make his estranged stepson Tiberius his heir instead.

Part of the coin is chipped so some of the legends are lost (it's a common type though so what it should say can easily be compared with other examples) but perhaps that's what helped make this coin a bit more affordable for me (even though it's more than what I paid for the pristine antoninianus of Philip the Arab I shared last time, which goes to show how much more demand there is for coins from Julius Caesar to Commodus). Nonetheless the details are still in pretty good shape and the artistry is quite lovely, the portrait on this coin reminds me of the famous Prima Porta statue.



Augustus. 27 BC - 14 AD
AR Denarius
Lugdunum (Lyon) mint. Struck 2 BC-12 AD
Laureate head right / Caius and Lucius Caesars standing facing; shields and spears between them with simpulum and lituus above
3.58 g, 18 mm, silver, chipped
References: RIC I 207; RSC 43

 

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A very nice example!

 

I picked this one up while on business in Croatia, for a song I might add)

 

Nice coin, Codera and well done on your purchase! I'm definitely after one but haven't pulled the trigger yet because of how expensive they get at auction (despite the large number of them).

 

Congrats @Codera on this addition to your collection! Although this type is common, it is also very significant and desirable for good reasons.

My first ancient coin purchase was a group of 4 hand-picked coins (from Bart Lewis); this type was in that group. About 15 years later I saw a nicer example of the same type offered which was a double-die match to mine. It was pricey, but I just HAD to have it. (Can anyone NOT relate to that feeling?) Here they are:
Although the lower coin is superior to the upper in several ways, the upper example was struck earlier.

 

Very nice coins everyone! Thanks for sharing!

 

Notice the difference in the simpulum & lituus. Mine is in the "Pd" formation, while yours is the opposite. I have no idea if either is more scarce than the other, but one day, God willing, I will obtain one like yours with the opposite formation.

 

Hi Bing, You have the less common of the 2! The "b9" formation of implements is more common than "Pd".

 

Thank you.

 

Great coin!

Here is mine,



This is one of the of the Denarii that I won't ever sell.

 

I wouldn't sell mine either, it's a great piece of history! Very nice example.

 

Nice pick up!
I dont have a denarius to share but I have a tetradrachm I picked up a number of years ago.


Roman Empire
Syria, Antiochia ad Orontem
Augustus Octavian (r. BC 27 - AD 14)
AR Tetradrachm 26 mm x 14.82 grams
Struck 26 of the Actian Era and Cos. 12 (BC 5)
Obverse: Laureate bust of Octavian right. Greek Legend - KAIΣOAPΣΣE BAΣTOY (Caesar Augustus)
Reverse: Tyche of Antioch seated on a rock to right, holding a palm-branch, the river-god Orontes swimming at her feet, YΠA monogram, IB (Cos. 12) and ANT (in monogram) in field. Greek Legend - ETOVΣ - CK - NIKHΣ, CK ( 26 yrs After the Victory)
Ref: RPC 4151