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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Michael Stolt, post: 3542370, member: 100445&quot;]Hello everyone!</p><p><br /></p><p>Today was a very nice day for me as I finally picked up my much anticipated Mark Antony &quot;Fleet coinage&quot; Tressis from my local dealer. This is an extremely rare denomination that I am extremely happy to be able to add to my growing fleet collection.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]941677[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Mark Antony. 38-37 BC. Æ Tressis (32mm, 25.78 g). Naval base in Greece (at Piraeus?); M. Oppius Capito, propraetor and praefectus classicus.</p><p><br /></p><p>Obverse: M•ANT•IMP•TERT•COS•DESIG•ITER•ET•TER•III•VIR•R•P•C - Conjoined bare heads of Mark Antony and Octavian right, facing draped bust of Octavia left.</p><p><br /></p><p>Reverse: M•OPPIVS•CAPITO•PRO•PR•PRAEF•CLASS•F•C - Three galleys under sail to right. Γ (Gamma) and Triskeles below.</p><p><br /></p><p>Reference: RPC I 1463</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;These unusual coins are examples of Mark Antony&#039;s &quot;fleet coinage,&quot; a series of bronzes in multiple, clearly marked denominations issued shortly after Antony&#039;s marriage alliance with Octavian, the nephew of Julius Caesar. The exact dates, the nature and purpose of the series have been the subject of much debate. David Sear places the commencement of the series in the summer of 38 BC at a still unidentified Eastern mint. The coins were struck in the names of Antony and three of his admirals--L. Sempronius Atratinus, M. Oppius Capito, and L. Calpurnius Bibulus, and falls into two distinct series, &quot;heavy&quot; and &quot;light.&quot; Most of the coins depict overlapping, confronting or Janiform portraits of Antony and Octavia, his wife and Octavian&#039;s sister. A few also show Octavian, in a clearly subsidiary position. Reverses almost all feature nautical themes--galleys under full sail, or figures in chariots drawn by hippocamps. The admiral&#039;s names, themes, and the combination of Greek and Latin letters indicate the coins may have been used to pay sailors in Antony&#039;s fleet, and were intended for circulation in his Eastern realm. An intriguing feature of the series is the range of denominations, all Roman, all clearly marked in Greek letters. They range from a large bronze sestertius, previously a small silver coin, marked HS in Latin and the Greek letter-numeral D, or four, indicating a value of four asses. Next comes an unusual denomination, the tressis, or three asses, marked G; then the dupondius, two asses, marked B; and the as, marked A. The series is completed by two fractions, a semis and quadrans, marked S and with three dots (three unciae) respectively.</p><p><br /></p><p>M. Oppius Capito was Antony’s senior naval officer, stationed at the main naval base at Piraeus. His coins are found distributed around central Greece, and were most likely struck at Piraeus. His coins are found in two series, a heavy and a light and it has been suggested that some were struck at Tarentum where part of Antony’s fleet was based during the joint action against Sextus Pompey in 37-36 BC</p><p><br /></p><p>Although this experimental coinage was short-lived and very rare today, it is interesting to note that the great currency reform started by Octavian, after he had taken the name Augustus and become the first Emperor of Rome, resulted in a bronze coinage using exactly the same denominations as Anthony&#039;s fleet issues.&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p>Here are the other types in the fleet series that I have in my collection so far.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]941678[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Coin 1:</p><p><br /></p><p>Mark Antony and Octavia, struck by M. Oppius Capito, Propraetor and Praefectus classis ca 38-37 BC. AE As, light series (16mm, 3.69g.) Minted at Piraeus(?).</p><p><br /></p><p>Obverse: M•ANT•IMP•TERT•COS•DESIG•ITER•ET•III•VIR• RPC; Jugate busts of Mark Antony and Octavia right.</p><p><br /></p><p>Reverse: M•OPPIVS•CAPITO•PRO•PR•PRAEF•CLASS•F•C; Galley right; below, A.</p><p><br /></p><p>Reference: RPC I 1470</p><p><br /></p><p>Coin 2:</p><p><br /></p><p>Mark Antony, struck by L. Bibulus M.f., praetor designatus ca 38-37 BC. Æ Semis (20mm, 3.61g). Uncertain mint in Syria.</p><p><br /></p><p>Obverse: M•ANT•TER•COS•DES• ITER•ET•TER•III•VIR•R•P•C, bare head right.</p><p><br /></p><p>Reverse: L•BIBVLVS•M•F•PR•DESIG, quinquereme right, with three oars and stern ending in boar&#039;s head left.</p><p><br /></p><p>Reference: RPC I 4092 (unique variation)</p><p><br /></p><p>Coin 3:</p><p><br /></p><p>Mark Anthony, with Octavia. Circa 38-37 BC. Æ Sestertius (40mm, 30.16 g). M. Oppius Capito, propraetor and praefectus classis. Minted at Piraeus(?).</p><p><br /></p><p>Obverse: M ANT • IMP TER COS DES ITER ET TER III VIR R• P • C •, bare head of Antony right vis-à-vis head of Octavia left.</p><p><br /></p><p>Reverse: M • OPPIVS • CAPITIO • P[R) • PR • PRAEF • CLASS • F • C • - Mark Antony and Octavia in quadriga of hippocamps; in l. field, HS and below, Δ and astragalus.</p><p><br /></p><p>Reference: RPC I 1462.3[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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