Heritage World Coin Auctions
CICF Signature Sale 3046 14-15 April 2016
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Gaius 'Caligula' (AD 37-41), with Agrippina Sr. (died AD 33). AR denarius (17mm, 3.79 gm, 2h). Rome, AD 37-38. C· CAESAR · AVG · GERM · TR · POT·, laureate head of Caligula right / [AG]RIPPINA MAT C CAES AVG GE[RM], draped bust of Agrippina right. RIC 14. BMCRE 15. RSC 2. Rare, particularly in high grade! Struck in sound metal with two exceptional portraits. Minor scratches in obverse field, otherwise beautifully toned and possessing great eye appeal. NGC Choice AU 4/5 - 4/5.All ancient historians agree Agrippina Senior, the granddaughter of Augustus, was a model of rectitude and matronly virtue. She also went beyond the traditional role of a Roman wife and mother in accompanying her husband Germanicus on dangerous military campaigns and foreign postings. The Roman people admired her courage; however she also had an imperious nature and longed for the day when her husband Germanicus would inherit supreme power, making her First Woman of Rome. The mysterious death of Germanicus while on a diplomatic mission in the East in AD 19 dashed these hopes. Agrippina believed Tiberius and/or Livia had a hand in his demise and made no secret of her suspicions. This put her squarely in the crosshairs of Sejanus, Tiberius' unscrupulous Praetorian prefect. In AD 29 she was charged with treason and banished to a remote island; repeatedly abused and starved, she died four years later. Upon the death of Tiberius, her son Gaius 'Caligula' became emperor and rehabilitated his mother's reputation, striking this attractive denarius pairing her portrait with his own.
Estimate: 5000-7000 USD
Gaius 'Caligula' (AD 37-41), with Agrippina Sr. (died AD 33). AR denarius (17mm, 3.79 gm, 2h). Rome, AD 37-38. C· CAESAR · AVG · GERM · TR · POT·, laureate head of Caligula right / [AG]RIPPINA MAT C CAES AVG GE[RM], draped bust of Agrippina right. RIC 14. BMCRE 15. RSC 2. Rare, particularly in high grade! Struck in sound metal with two exceptional portraits. Minor scratches in obverse field, otherwise beautifully toned and possessing great eye appeal. NGC Choice AU 4/5 - 4/5.All ancient historians agree Agrippina Senior, the granddaughter of Augustus, was a model of rectitude and matronly virtue. She also went beyond the traditional role of a Roman wife and mother in accompanying her husband Germanicus on dangerous military campaigns and foreign postings. The Roman people admired her courage; however she also had an imperious nature and longed for the day when her husband Germanicus would inherit supreme power, making her First Woman of Rome. The mysterious death of Germanicus while on a diplomatic mission in the East in AD 19 dashed these hopes. Agrippina believed Tiberius and/or Livia had a hand in his demise and made no secret of her suspicions. This put her squarely in the crosshairs of Sejanus, Tiberius' unscrupulous Praetorian prefect. In AD 29 she was charged with treason and banished to a remote island; repeatedly abused and starved, she died four years later. Upon the death of Tiberius, her son Gaius 'Caligula' became emperor and rehabilitated his mother's reputation, striking this attractive denarius pairing her portrait with his own.
Estimate: 5000-7000 USD