Watch List notes:

THE ROMAN REPUBLIC

Marcus Antonius, Lucius Antonius and M. Cocceius Nerva. Aureus, mint moving with Mark Anthony circa 41, AV 8.10 g. M·ANT·IMP AVG VIR·R·P·C·M NERVA PROQ·P Bare head of M. Anthony r. Rev. L·ANTONIVS COS Bare head of Lucius Antonius r. Babelon Antonia 47 and Cocceia 1. Bahrfeldt 80 var. (III VIR). Syd. 1184 var. (III VIR). C 2 var. (III VIR). RBW –. Crawford 517/4b.
An exceedingly rare variety, only five specimens known, of an extremely rare type.
In exceptional condition and undoubtedly among the finest specimens known of
this prestigious issue. Two portraits of fine style perfectly-centered
on a full flan. Extremely fine


Ex Hess-Leu sale 24, 1964, 271 and NAC 73, 2013, Student and his Mentor part II, 250 sales. From the collection of Sheikh Saoud Al Thani.

This aureus depicting the bare heads of Marc Antony and his youngest brother Lucius Antony is one of the rarest of the dual-portrait coinages of the Imperatorial period. The family resemblance is uncanny, and one wonders if they truly looked this much alike, or if it is another case of portrait fusion, much like we observe with the dual-portrait billon tetradrachms of Antioch on which the face of the Egyptian queen Cleopatra VII takes on the square dimensions of Marc Antony. When Antony fled Rome to separate himself from Octavian and to take up his governorship in Gaul, Lucius went with him, and suffered equally from the siege of Mutina. This coin, however, was struck in a later period, when Lucius had for a second time taken up arms against Octavian in the west. Marc Antony was already in the east, and that is the region from which this coinage emanates. Since Lucius lost the 'Perusine War' he waged against Octavian, and subsequently was appointed to an office in Spain, where he died, it is likely that he never even saw one of his portrait coins. Crawford has "misgivings", yet in a coinage riddled with cacography, a simple scribal error as here is almost predictable. The die-engraver, instead of mindlessly copying his model, paused to think about what he was doing and started to make AVGVR which he was obliged, when he returned to his senses, to continue as AVGVIR, omitting III for lack of space. The early imperial bronze coinage abounds in such errors.