Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Electronic Auction 482 16 Dec 2020
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C. Coelius Caldus. 53 BC. AR Denarius (18.5mm, 3.88 g, 6h). Rome mint. Bare head of C. Coelius Caldus right; behind, L·D inscribed on tablet / Radiate head of Sol right; behind, S above oval shield decorated with thunderbolt; round shield below chin. Crawford 437/1b; Sydenham 892; Coelia 5; RBW 1550. Lightly toned, minor deposits, scratches and banker's mark on reverse. VF.
Gaius Coelius Caldus was Consul in 94 BC. As Tribune of the Plebs in 107 BC, he had passed the Lex Coelia, a law which extended to treason trials the right of public assemblies to vote by secret ballot. His portrait, struck by his probable grandson on this coin of 53 BC, is one of the earliest realistic ancestor portraits to appear on Roman coinage, setting the stage for the ruler portraits of the Imperatorial and Imperial eras.
Gaius Coelius Caldus was Consul in 94 BC. As Tribune of the Plebs in 107 BC, he had passed the Lex Coelia, a law which extended to treason trials the right of public assemblies to vote by secret ballot. His portrait, struck by his probable grandson on this coin of 53 BC, is one of the earliest realistic ancestor portraits to appear on Roman coinage, setting the stage for the ruler portraits of the Imperatorial and Imperial eras.