Empire. Augustus. Brundisium or Rome. 29-27 BC. AR Denarius (3.95g, 1h). Cohen 122; RIC 266. Very rare. Old cabinet tone. Exceptional for issue. One of the finest known. Choice extremely fine. From a private collection; acquired from Tradart, Brussels, 1988

"I built the Senate House... with the power of the state entirely in my hands by universal consent, I extinguished the flames of civil wars" (The Deeds of the Divine Augustus). The Senate House (Curia Julia) is one of a handful of Roman structures that survive mostly intact. This coin gives an idea of what the building looked like... a tall, rather austere brick structure with large three windows, topped by a gabled roof, resting on a stepped platform surmounted by a colonnade; a statue of Victory atop a globe graced the peak, with statues of other deities or notable Romans to either side