Augustus, 27 BC-AD 14. Denarius (Silver, 19 mm, 3.66 g, 6 h), uncertain mint in Spain (Emerita or Colonia Patricia?), circa 18-17/16 BC. Bare head of Augustus to left. Rev. AVGVSTVS Capricorn to right, holding globe attached to rudder between its front hooves and bearing cornucopiae on its back. BMC 307. Cohen 22. O Universo Illustrado 1880, p. 380 (this coin illustrated). RIC 130. Nicely toned. Scratches and the reverse struck slightly off center, otherwise, about very fine.



In the winter of 1879, near the town of Santo Estêvão in northern Portugal, Roman ruins were discovered on the left bank of the River Tâmega. Exploration of the ruins revealed a ceramic vessel containing about 700 Republican and Early Imperial denarii, closing with coins of Claudius. The hoard was quickly dispersed, with António Luís Gomes de Moraes Sarmento (1851-1929), an army general and engineer with knowledge of numismatics, acquiring an uncertain number of them. The general then published 75 of these denarii with line drawings and descriptions in the Portuguese journal, O Universo Illustrado, in 1880 and 1883. In this publication, he recounts the rather tragic anecdote that locals tore down the ruins and all else they could in hopes of discovering more coins – alas, without any luck! The offering of coins presented here provides a unique opportunity to acquire relatively common pieces with an exceptional pedigree reaching back to the moment they were discovered.