A beautifully toned lifetime portrait denarius of Julius Caesar
Lot 2320
Julius Caesar, 49-44 BC. Denarius (Silver, 19 mm, 3.77 g, 9 h), P. Sepullius Macer, moneyer, Rome, first half of March 44 BC. CAESAR DICT PERPETVO Laureate head of Julius Caesar to right. Rev. P•SEPVLLIVS - MACER Venus standing front, head lowered to left, holding Victory in her right hand and long scepter adorned with star in her left. Babelon (Julia) 49 and (Sepulia) 4. Crawford 480/11. RBW 1684. Sydenham 1072. Beautifully toned and well centered, a fine example of this historically important issue. Struck from slightly worn dies, otherwise, good very fine.


Privately acquired from Numismatica Ars Classica in 2021, ex Jesús Vico 154, 6 June 2019, 405, Rauch 86, 12 May 2010, 533, Stack's Bowers September 2008 Auction, 10 September 2008, 293 (with original ticket) and privately acquired from Bourgey in January 1938.


In early 44 BC, Julius Caesar had himself appointed dictator perpetuo or dictator in perpetuity, a brazen act that granted him unprecedented political power. His lust for power went hand in hand with the production of coins carrying his portrait, normally associated with Greek and Eastern monarchies, to which he soon added his newly gained title. Coupled with the image of Venus, the mythical forebear of the gens Julia, on the reverse, Caesar showed himself as master of men and favorite of the gods alike. Despite his political brilliance, he severely miscalculated the degree to which his fellow senators resented his move towards monarchical rule, and perhaps mere days after this coin was struck, Caesar was brought down on 15 March in a bloody conspiracy.
Starting price:
750 CHF
Hammer price:
3200 CHF
Bid increment:
Closed
Minimum bid:
Closed
Number of bids:
Time left:
Closing time: 17-Jul-22, 20:25:00 CEST
All winning bids are subject to a 18.5% buyer's fee.

Cookies

We use cookies to enhance your online experience. By using our website, you accept our data privacy policy and the use of cookies.
Cart
Disconnected

Connection lost

You have lost your connection. Because we present current bids in real-time, your browser may display outdated or incorrect bidding information.

Please check your network connection and try again. We recommend refreshing the website to display the accurate bidding information again.