Obverse: Helmeted head of Roma right, LABEO before, X under chin, ROMA behind. Reverse: Jupiter in quadriga right, prow below horses, Q. FABI in exergue The bust of the  More »

Obverse: Helmeted head of Roma right, LABEO before, X under chin, ROMA behind. Reverse: Jupiter in quadriga right, prow below horses, Q. FABI in exergue The bust of the goddess Roma, with its winged helmet, is a popular obverse type during the Republican period. The helmet itself is reminiscent of Hellenistic and Roman helmets of the time period, categorized by scholars as the Italo-Attic type. Officers and deities are often depicted as wearing this helmet long after such a design had gone into general disuse by the military. As such, it continued to be employed as a symbol connected with deities and heroic figures of the past. The reverse type, incorporating the prow of a ship, may commemorate the naval victories of an ancestor and namesake, against the Seleucid monarch, Antiochus the Great. Crawford 273/1. RSC Fabia 1. - (C.5376)   « Less

Obverse: Veiled and turreted head of Cybele right, EX. A. PV behind. Reverse: Victory in biga right, F and dot below horses, stork before, C. FABI. C. F. in exergue The  More »

Obverse: Veiled and turreted head of Cybele right, EX. A. PV behind. Reverse: Victory in biga right, F and dot below horses, stork before, C. FABI. C. F. in exergue The goddess Cybele, also known as Magna Mater, or “Great Mother,” was imported to the Roman Empire from Asia Minor. Her iconography often depicts her as enthroned and flanked by two lions. Additionally, she is often portrayed as veiled and turreted, accompanied by her consort, Attis. Crawford 322/1b. RSC Fabia 14. - (C.5377)   « Less

Obverse: Helmeted head of Roma right, monogram below chin, LAECA behind. Reverse: Jupiter in quadriga right, crowned by Victory flying above, M. PORC below horses, ROMA in  More »

Obverse: Helmeted head of Roma right, monogram below chin, LAECA behind. Reverse: Jupiter in quadriga right, crowned by Victory flying above, M. PORC below horses, ROMA in exergue The bust of the goddess Roma, with its winged helmet, is a popular obverse type during the Republican period. The helmet itself is reminiscent of Hellenistic and Roman helmets of the time period, categorized by scholars as the Italo-Attic type. Officers and deities are often depicted as wearing this helmet long after such a design had gone into general disuse by the military. As such, it continued to be employed as a symbol connected with deities and heroic figures of the past. The moneyer is a descendant of the praetor, P. Porcius Laeca, who is credited for the Lex Porcia de Provocatione, a law that limited the abuses of military magistrates against Roman citizens. Crawdord 270/1. RSC Porcia 3 - (C.5379)   « Less

Oberse: Helmeted head of Roma right, X below chin, PITIO behind. Reverse: Dioscuri mounted right, carrying lances, L. SEMP below horses (M and P in ligature), ROMA in  More »

Oberse: Helmeted head of Roma right, X below chin, PITIO behind. Reverse: Dioscuri mounted right, carrying lances, L. SEMP below horses (M and P in ligature), ROMA in exergue The bust of the goddess Roma, with its winged helmet, is a popular obverse type during the Republican period. The helmet itself is reminiscent of Hellenistic and Roman helmets of the time period, categorized by scholars as the Italo-Attic type. Officers and deities are often depicted as wearing this helmet long after such a design had gone into general disuse by the military. As such, it continued to be employed as a symbol connected with deities and heroic figures of the past. The Dioscuri, depicted on the reverse of this coin, are familiar due to their attendant iconography, each wearing a conical hat crowned by a single star. The Dioscuri were mythological sons of Zeus by the Spartan queen Leda and, in addition to being revered as demigods by the Greeks, they also were attended by the Romans at an early date and associated with Roman military victory. It was believed by the Romans that after a victory early on in their history, the two deities appeared in the forum to announce that victory to the Romans. Also, the two were reported to have even assisted the Romans in said battle. Crawford 216/1. RSC Sempronia 2. - (C.5380)   « Less

Obverse: Helmeted head of Roma right, X below chin, PITIO behind. Reverse: Dioscuri mounted right, carrying lances, L. SEMP below horses (M and P in ligature), ROMA in  More »

Obverse: Helmeted head of Roma right, X below chin, PITIO behind. Reverse: Dioscuri mounted right, carrying lances, L. SEMP below horses (M and P in ligature), ROMA in exergue The bust of the goddess Roma, with its winged helmet, is a popular obverse type during the Republican period. The helmet itself is reminiscent of Hellenistic and Roman helmets of the time period, categorized by scholars as the Italo-Attic type. Officers and deities are often depicted as wearing this helmet long after such a design had gone into general disuse by the military. As such, it continued to be employed as a symbol connected with deities and heroic figures of the past. The Dioscuri, depicted on the reverse of this coin, are familiar due to their attendant iconography, each wearing a conical hat crowned by a single star. The Dioscuri were mythological sons of Zeus by the Spartan queen Leda and, in addition to being revered as demigods by the Greeks, they also were attended by the Romans at an early date and associated with Roman military victory. It was believed by the Romans that after a victory early on in their history, the two deities appeared in the forum to announce that victory to the Romans. Also, the two were reported to have even assisted the Romans in said battle. Crawford 216/1. RSC Sempronia 2. - (C.5381)   « Less

Obverse: Helmeted head of Roma right, monogram behind. Reverse: Jupiter in quadriga right, ROMA below horses, L. MINVCI in exergue The bust of the goddess Roma, with its  More »

Obverse: Helmeted head of Roma right, monogram behind. Reverse: Jupiter in quadriga right, ROMA below horses, L. MINVCI in exergue The bust of the goddess Roma, with its winged helmet, is a popular obverse type during the Republican period. The helmet itself is reminiscent of Hellenistic and Roman helmets of the time period, categorized by scholars as the Italo-Attic type. Officers and deities are often depicted as wearing this helmet long after such a design had gone into general disuse. As such, it continued to be employed as a symbol connected with deities and heroic figures of the past. Crawford 248/1. RSC Minucia 15. - (C.5382)   « Less

Obverse: Head of Tatius right, SABIN behind. Reverse: Victory in biga, L . TITVRI below, XXXXII in exergue The family of Titurius Sabinus traced its heritage to the  More »

Obverse: Head of Tatius right, SABIN behind. Reverse: Victory in biga, L . TITVRI below, XXXXII in exergue The family of Titurius Sabinus traced its heritage to the Sabines, and possibly to king Tatius himself, depicted on the obverse of this coin. The Sabines were an Italian tribe, neighbors of the nascent settlement of Rome, whose proximity provided a ready source of wives for the Romans who were lacking women at this early stage of their history. The event in which many Sabine women were carried off by Romans is historically referred to as “The Rape of the Sabines.” Crawford 344/3. RSC Tituria 6a. - (C.5383)   « Less

Obverse: Laureate head of Saturn left, harpa and ROMA behind. Reverse: Venus in biga right, holding staff, Cupid flies above, holding wreath, V below horses’ forelegs  More »

Obverse: Laureate head of Saturn left, harpa and ROMA behind. Reverse: Venus in biga right, holding staff, Cupid flies above, holding wreath, V below horses’ forelegs and pellet on ground below belly, L. MEMMI / GAL in exergue (M and E in ligature) Some areas of toning on obverse. That Venus was the tutelary deity of the Memmia gens explains the presence of this goddess and her son on the reverse of the coin. Crawford 313/1c. RSC Memmia 2a. - (C.7680)   « Less

Obverse: Diademed Bust of the Emperor Facing Right. Reverse: Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus Facing Each Other with Clasped Hands Marcus Aurelius Antoninus was the Emperor  More »

Obverse: Diademed Bust of the Emperor Facing Right. Reverse: Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus Facing Each Other with Clasped Hands Marcus Aurelius Antoninus was the Emperor of Rome from 161 until his death in 180 A.D. Born Marcus Annius Verus, he was adopted by the emperor Antoninus Pius in 138, and married his daughter Annia Galeria Faustina a few years later. He succeeded to the throne without difficulty on Antoninus' death. Marcus Aurelius was educated by the best tutors in Rome and was a devotee of Stoicism. However, he felt with more religious fervor the communion of man in the unity of the universe than most other Stoics. In his later years, he wrote the Meditations as a relief from his lonely office, in which he attempts to reconcile his Stoic philosophy of virtue and self-sacrifice with his role as emperor. How many hands have touched a coin in your pocket or purse? What eras and lands have the coin traversed on its journey into our possession? As we reach into our pockets to pull out some change, we rarely hesitate to think of who might have touched the coin before us, or where the coin will venture to after it leaves our hands. More than money, coins are a symbol of the state that struck them, of a specific time and location, whether contemporary currencies or artifacts of long forgotten empires. This stunning hand-struck coin reveals an expertise of craftsmanship and intricate sculptural detail that is often lacking in contemporary machine-made currencies. Although Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations is considered among the most important books in history, his legacy extends beyond the written word. The philosophical leader Marcus Aurelius lives on in artifacts like this coin: concrete remnants of ancient empires passed from the hands of civilization to civilization, from generation to generation that appear as vibrant today as the day they were struck. - (C.404)   « Less

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus was the Emperor of Rome from 161 until his death in 180 A.D. Born Marcus Annius Verus, he was adopted by the emperor Antoninus Pius in 138, and  More »

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus was the Emperor of Rome from 161 until his death in 180 A.D. Born Marcus Annius Verus, he was adopted by the emperor Antoninus Pius in 138, and married his daughter Annia Galeria Faustina a few years later. He succeeded to the throne without difficulty on Antoninus' death. Marcus Aurelius was educated by the best tutors in Rome and was a devotee of Stoicism. However, he felt with more religious fervor the communion of man in the unity of the universe than most other Stoics. In his later years, he wrote the Meditations as a relief from his lonely office, in which he attempts to reconcile his Stoic philosophy of virtue and self-sacrifice with his role as emperor. How many hands have touched a coin in your pocket or purse? What eras and lands have the coin traversed on its journey into our possession? As we reach into our pockets to pull out some change, we rarely hesitate to think of who might have touched the coin before us, or where the coin will venture to after it leaves our hands. More than money, coins are a symbol of the state that struck them, of a specific time and location, whether contemporary currencies or artifacts of long forgotten empires. This stunning hand-struck coin reveals an expertise of craftsmanship and intricate sculptural detail that is often lacking in contemporary machine-made currencies. Although Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations is considered among the most important books in history, his legacy extends beyond the written word. The philosophical leader Marcus Aurelius lives on in artifacts like this coin: concrete remnants of ancient empires passed from the hands of civilization to civilization, from generation to generation that appear as vibrant today as the day they were struck. - (C.405)   « Less