Roma Numismatics Ltd
E-Sale 77 26 Nov 2020
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Julius Caesar AR Denarius. Rome, January-February 44 BC. M. Mettius, moneyer. IMPER upwards to left, CAESAR downwards to right; wreathed head of Caesar right; lituus and simpulum behind / M•METTIVS, Venus Victrix standing to left, holding Victory in outstretched right hand and transverse sceptre in left, resting her left elbow on shield set on celestial globe; D to left. Crawford 480/17; CRI 100; RSC 35. 3.21g, 18mm, 3h.
Extremely Fine; attractive old cabinet tone.
From the Andrew McCabe Collection, collector's ticket included;
Privately purchased from Münzhandlung Ritter, 2006.
"Ted Buttrey in 'Caesar at Play: Some Preparations for the Parthian Campaign, 44 BCE', 2015, makes a convincing case that all the Caesar portrait types in RRC 480 excepting the one accidental mule, an error coin wrongly classified as RRC 480/20, were struck prior to his death in March and to fund his Parthian campaign. Bernhard Woytek makes similar arguments in Arma et Nummi. I have always thought the sequential order proposed by Alföldi and adopted unchanged by Crawford, didn't allow for the evidently parallel workshops shown by the very different styles and flans of each type. I have long been convinced that all of RRC 480/1 through RRC 480/19 plus the fractions were struck in the first two and a half months of the year. Certainly the number of dies - less than 200 - makes that a physically easy task. I discussed this with Buttrey and Woytek (on a Saturday afternoon in Cambridge three years ago) who are totally supportive, and I hope to follow with an alternative study to the Alföldi/Crawford arrangement in time. First I have to work on bronzes for a while though. Anyway, this Mettius denarius was certainly struck during Julius Caesar's lifetime. It has a particularly fine reverse strike for an issue notable for less than fine strikes." - Andrew McCabe.
Extremely Fine; attractive old cabinet tone.
From the Andrew McCabe Collection, collector's ticket included;
Privately purchased from Münzhandlung Ritter, 2006.
"Ted Buttrey in 'Caesar at Play: Some Preparations for the Parthian Campaign, 44 BCE', 2015, makes a convincing case that all the Caesar portrait types in RRC 480 excepting the one accidental mule, an error coin wrongly classified as RRC 480/20, were struck prior to his death in March and to fund his Parthian campaign. Bernhard Woytek makes similar arguments in Arma et Nummi. I have always thought the sequential order proposed by Alföldi and adopted unchanged by Crawford, didn't allow for the evidently parallel workshops shown by the very different styles and flans of each type. I have long been convinced that all of RRC 480/1 through RRC 480/19 plus the fractions were struck in the first two and a half months of the year. Certainly the number of dies - less than 200 - makes that a physically easy task. I discussed this with Buttrey and Woytek (on a Saturday afternoon in Cambridge three years ago) who are totally supportive, and I hope to follow with an alternative study to the Alföldi/Crawford arrangement in time. First I have to work on bronzes for a while though. Anyway, this Mettius denarius was certainly struck during Julius Caesar's lifetime. It has a particularly fine reverse strike for an issue notable for less than fine strikes." - Andrew McCabe.