Ira and Larry Goldberg Auctioneers
Auction 104 12-13 Jun 2018
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Augustus, AR Denarius (3.86g), 27 BC-AD 14. Lugdunum, 15-13 BC. AVGVSTVS DIVI F, bare head of Augustus right. Reverse: Bull charging left, head lowered, IMP X in exergue. RIC 169. RSC 141. BMCRE 458. Rare variety with bull charging left! Boldly struck in high relief, with satiny surfaces and some residual luster. Nearly Mint State. Estimate Value $2,500 - UP
The charging bull seen on this lovely denarius of Augustus refers to a victory won by his his biological father, Gaius Octavius, over rebelling slaves near the Greco-Italian city of Thurium. Augustus was actually given the name Gaius Octavius Thurinus at birth to mark the event, and his political opponents derisively called him "Thurinus" early in his political career. Far from taking offense, Octavian/Augustus embraced the title and employed the symbol of Thurium, a charging bull, on his coins. Interestingly, the variety with the bull charging to left, seen here, is about ten times rarer than the issue with bull charging right.
The charging bull seen on this lovely denarius of Augustus refers to a victory won by his his biological father, Gaius Octavius, over rebelling slaves near the Greco-Italian city of Thurium. Augustus was actually given the name Gaius Octavius Thurinus at birth to mark the event, and his political opponents derisively called him "Thurinus" early in his political career. Far from taking offense, Octavian/Augustus embraced the title and employed the symbol of Thurium, a charging bull, on his coins. Interestingly, the variety with the bull charging to left, seen here, is about ten times rarer than the issue with bull charging right.