Mark Antony, 44-30 BC. Denarius (Silver, 18 mm, 4.00 g, 11 h), with P. Sepullius Macer, Rome, April-May 44 BC. Veiled and bearded head of Mark Antony to right; to left, capis; to right, lituus.
Rev. P SEPVLLIVS / MACER Desultor, wearing a conical cap and holding whip, riding a horse galloping to right with another beside him; to left, wreath and palm branch. Babelon (Antonia) 2. Crawford 480/22. CRI 142. RBW 1689. Sydenham 1077. Lightly toned and with a beautiful portrait. Minor marks and light scratches
, otherwise, very fine.
From the collection of Roman Imperatorial coins of Martinus J. L. Janssen, ex Elsen 154, 17 March 2023, 429.
This fascinating type, featuring a veiled and bearded portrait of Mark Antony on the obverse, represents the first known numismatic portrait of Mark Antony. The reverse depicts a
desultor (a competitor in equestrian games) charging to the right on horseback, linking the issue to the Parilian Games, celebrated on 21 April. This connection suggests the coin was struck in late April or early May. Antony’s veiled and bearded portrait symbolizes his mourning for the recently assassinated Julius Caesar, a motif that appeared on both his and Octavian’s coinage for the next two and a half years, until their victory over Caesar’s assassins, Brutus and Cassius.
