Empire. Augustus. Colonia Patricia. 18-17 BC. AR Denarius (3.88g, 1h). RIC 542; Tradart 4.31 (this coin). Very rare. Old cabinet tone. Exceptional for issue. Among the finest known. Choice extremely fine. From a private collection, acquired from Tradart, Brussels, 1989

The reverse type is the personal seal of Augustus, representing the zodiacal sign with which he was closely associated. It is often described as the sign of his birth (23 September 63 BC). According to Suetonius, the sign of Capricorn became important to the future Augustus already in 44 BC, just after the murder of Caesar. At this time, he and his close lieutenant, Marcus Agrippa, had their horoscopes cast by a Greek astrologer. Agrippa went first and had amazing things predicted of him. Octavian feared that his future could not possibly be as impressive as Agrippa’s and initially resisted having his horoscope cast, but when he relented the astrologer bowed and recognized him as the future master of the Mediterranean world