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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;DonnaML, post: 8197658, member: 110350&quot;]It&#039;s been quite a while since I&#039;ve posted a new Republican coin with a write-up, but new types that I can afford in the condition I want are definitely growing scarce. I doubt I&#039;ll end up buying anywhere near enough this year to fill a top 10 list, as I did in both 2020 and 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>There really isn&#039;t much to say about this type; thus the short write-up (for me). It remains mysterious in certain respects. But even though I paid more for it than I had hoped (taking the buyer&#039;s premium, etc. into account), I happen to think the condition and eye appeal of the reverse are as nice as just about any example I&#039;ve seen. It&#039;s rare to see both horses completely on the flan, and the Dioscuri with actual visible faces, as gigantic as their noses may be. Besides, if the coin was good enough for [USER=90666]@Andrew McCabe[/USER] to buy, it&#039;s good enough for me!</p><p><br /></p><p>Roman Republic, L. Memmius, AR Denarius, Rome Mint, 109-108 BCE. Obv. Male head to right (Apollo?), wearing oak wreath, star (*) [= monogrammed XVI; mark of value] beneath chin / Rev. The Dioscuri (Castor and Pollux), cloaked, with stars above their heads, standing facing between their horses, each holding a spear and the bridle of his horse, with each horse raising its outside front hoof; L•MEMMI in exergue. Crawford 304/1, RSC I Memmia 1 (ill. p. 65), Sear RCV I 181 (ill. p. 107), BMCRR II Italy 643, RBW Collection 1145 (ill. p. 237). 19 mm., 3.95 g.&nbsp; <i>Purchased Jan. 6, 2022 at Roma Numismatics E-Sale 93, Lot 897. Ex. Andrew McCabe Collection; ex. Numismatica Ars Classica AG, Auction 7, 27 May 2014, Lot 1944; ex. Aureo &amp; Calico, Auction 159, 3 March 2004, Lot 1056.*</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i>[ATTACH=full]1436003[/ATTACH] </i></p><p><br /></p><p>*Crawford says little about this issue, stating only (see Crawford I p. 315) that the moneyer “may be identified with L. Memmius, who visited Egypt as a Senator in 112,” that the obverse type “remains unexplained” (but resembles the head of Apollo on Crawford 350A, including in wearing an oak-wreath rather than a laurel wreath), and that the representation of the Dioscuri -- dismounted and standing next to their horses rather than mounted and galloping in the same direction with couched lances, their traditional portrayal on Roman Republican coins, especially during the 2nd Century BCE – is “unusual.” For detailed discussions of the Dioscuri in mythology, in their role as protectors of the Roman people as a result of their miraculous intervention on the Roman side at the battle of Lake Regillus, and as frequently depicted on Roman Republican coins (albeit rarely on Roman Imperial coins), see, e.g., <a href="https://www.ostia-antica.org/dict/topics/mint/mint04.htm#:~:text=The%20Dioscuri%20were%20known%20to,against%20the%20Latins%20in%20c" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.ostia-antica.org/dict/topics/mint/mint04.htm#:~:text=The%20Dioscuri%20were%20known%20to,against%20the%20Latins%20in%20c" rel="nofollow">https://www.ostia-antica.org/dict/topics/mint/mint04.htm#:~:text=The Dioscuri were known to,against the Latins in c</a>; <a href="https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=Dioscuri" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=Dioscuri" rel="nofollow">https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=Dioscuri</a>:</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“[T]he worship of the Dioscuri, as divinities, had its origin at Rome, from the victory which the consul Postumius gained, near the lake Regillus, over the Latins and the sons of Tarquinius Superbus (B.C. 493 or 496). It was said that, after that engagement, the Dioscuri appeared in the forum of Rome, wearing conical bonnets, over each of which was a star. They stood resting upon their lances, beside their horses, which were drinking at a fountain. These twin heroes disappeared as soon as they had announced the news of the battle, at a moment when, on account of the distance from the scene of the slaughter, no one could have as yet become acquainted with the event. It is also related that, during the action, two young men, mounted on two white horses, were seen fighting valiantly for the Romans. . . .</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The Dioscuri most frequently appear, on coins of the Roman Republic, as horsemen galloping, with couched lances, and stars above their pilei. . . . In the imperial series, this type (which was meant to denote brotherly concord), is of rare occurrence.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>It has been suggested that the portrayal of the Dioscuri on the reverse of this coin may be based on an ancient statuary group similar to the pair of statues unearthed in 1561, located at the <i>Piazza del Campidoglio </i>in Rome since 1583:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1436002[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>See <a href="https://www.walksinrome.com/uploads/2/5/1/0/25107996/castor-and-pollux-piazza-del-campidoglio-rome_orig.jpg" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.walksinrome.com/uploads/2/5/1/0/25107996/castor-and-pollux-piazza-del-campidoglio-rome_orig.jpg" rel="nofollow">https://www.walksinrome.com/uploads/2/5/1/0/25107996/castor-and-pollux-piazza-del-campidoglio-rome_orig.jpg</a>. It&#039;s rather clear that the Heavenly Twins originally held spears or lances. And, if taken together, the pair of statues certainly resembles the reverse of the L. Memmius denarius:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1436007[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Please post your own favorite coins portraying the Dioscuri, Roman Republican or otherwise.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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