Rhine Legions. Anonymous, circa May/June-December 68. Denarius (Subaeratus, 19 mm, 2.91 g, 5 h), uncertain mint in Gaul or in the Rhine Valley. 'Virtus-Roma Group', Style C. ROMA Draped bust of Roma to right, wearing crested helmet and mural crown. Rev. DIVV (sic!) - IVLIVS Sidus Iulium: eight-rayed comet with tail upwards. BMC -. CG 148.1 (this coin). Cohen -. Martin -. Nicolas -. RIC -. Unique and unpublished save for its previous auction appearance. A highly interesting coin of great historical interest. Very well struck on a broad flan and exceptionally well preserved for a subaeratus. Some deposits and with very minor breaks in plating, otherwise, good very fine.


The importance of this coin lies in the link between an anonymous Rhine Legion obverse and the Sidus Iulium reverse of Augustus. Struck from the same obverse die as lot 1151 above, the issue shows that the unusual civil war coinage in the name of Augustus was also seized by the Rhine Legions, albeit to a lesser degree than in Spain. Furthermore, the coin's exceptionally well preserved silver plating gives us a glimpse of how convincing freshly made subaerati must have looked. Clearly they could not fool experienced money changers, but as an emergency coinage during a silver shortage, they must have achieved their intended purpose.