Watch List notes:

The Collection of Roman Republican Coins of a Student and his Mentor Part III

Julius Caesar. Aureus, mint moving with Caesar 13 July 48-47 BC, AV 8.55 g. Female head r., wearing diadem and oak wreath; in l. field, ℵ?II. Rev. CAE – SAR Trophy with Gallic shield and carnyx; in r. field, axe. Bahrfeldt 17 and pl. III, 17 (these dies). Babelon Julia 25. Sydenham 1008. Sear Imperators 10. Calicó 41 (this coin). Biaggi 26 (this coin). RBW –. Crawford 452/1.
Extremely rare and among the finest of only ten specimens known. A coin of tremendous
fascination and historical importance. Two almost invisible marks on obverse,
otherwise about extremely fine
NAC 46, 2008, 416; NAC 31, 2005, 3; Glendining's 1951, Ryan part IV, 1568 and Ex Hess 1935, 31 sales. From the Nordheim, William H. Williams and Biaggi collections.This aureus was struck at the height of Julius Caesar's campaign against Pompey and his allies, which climaxed on 9 August, 48 B.C., when Caesar defeated Pompey at the battle of Pharsalus. It is a self-promotional coinage that names only Caesar and bears the reverse type of a trophy of Gallic arms and armor. This design not only celebrates his success in the Gallic Wars, but it diverts attention from Caesar's less honorable civil war against his fellow Roman Pompey.An unusual feature of this coinage is the numeral LII on the obverse. It is generally accepted to represent Caesar's age, 52, at the time this coinage was struck. Sydenham believed Caesar was born in 102 B.C., and thus concluded this issue was struck in Gaul while Caesar was still in that province. The general consensus, though, is that Caesar was born in 100 B.C., which places this coinage in the year commencing 13 July, 48 B.C. Whether it was struck as a prelude to the Battle of Pharsalus or in its aftermath is not known, but it certainly was associated.
This was the first aureus any Roman had struck for more than a generation, with the previous ones being issues of Sulla and Pompey in the late 80s and late 70s B.C. It is typical of gold of the Imperatorial age in that it was struck under extraordinary circumstances, and though these aurei are very rare today, they must have been struck in large quantities since the companion denarii with the same design survive in large number.
The identity of the female on the obverse is far from certain. The goddess or personification wears an oak wreath, and she has been described as Venus, Pietas and Clementia. The uncertainty of her identification is echoed by Caesar's most substantial issue of aurei, from c. 46 B.C. (Cr. 466/1), which bear on their obverse a veiled female head normally described as Pietas or Vesta.