I was asked, and answered, the following question off-list, sent to me via PM. I think it's a question more suited for on-list, so I'm posting it here:
Question
I wanted to ask about this coin I picked up. I see it's
Octavian as it's a couple of years before he was given the title
Augustus. The
obverse is
Anepigraphic, but what can you tell me about the
reverse? What can you tell me about he dating of this issue-how was it established. Also, how was the
mint nailed down.
Octavian AR
Denarius.
Italian mint (
Rome?), Autumn 30-summer 29 BC.
Bare head right / IMP •
CAESAR on the
architrave of the Roman Senate House (Curia
Julia), with porch supported by four short columns, statue of
Victory on globe surmounting
apex of roof, and
statues of standing figures at the extremities of the
architrave. CRI 421;
RIC I 266;
RSC 122.
My answer:
From my website:
RIC1:
Roman Imperial Coinage Vol.1 31BC-AD69, CHV
Sutherland,
London 1984
Catalogues the
Caesar Divi F and Imp
Caesar coins of the last five years of the Republic (32-27BC), inexplicably omitted from
Crawford. The general introduction and discussion of dates and mints for these coins is of interest but
RIC1 is otherwise quite light on text, referring for its numismatic evidence to
Sutherland's "
Octavian's Gold and Silver Coinage from c.32 to 27BC" (
Quaderni Ticinesi 1976, offprint republished 1997). However assuming you already own
Sear HCRI, an essential volume in your
library, then
RIC1 adds no extra information and is not essential.
When I look in
Sutherland's "
Octavian's Gold and Silver Coinage from c.32 to 27BC" (
Quaderni Ticinesi 1976),
Sutherland comments that
hoards are no
help (because Antony and
Octavian coinage would have been hoarded separately and not together, so you cannot tell relative chronology from the presence or absence of
legionary denarii). But even
Crawford acnowledges that the series, in general, must pre-date the issue of Scarpus in 31-29 BC since Scarpus copies the
Victory on a globe from this series. So, simply put, if Scarpus copied one of these coins, then some of them must pre-date Scarpus, and this are before
Actium. Thus at least some of the
CAESAR DIVI F or IMP
CAESAR are pre
Actium and all are
Roman Republican, as they clearly predate Octavians relinquishment of
his Imperatorial powers and assumption of the title
Augustus in 27 BC.
Sutherland's article is lengthy and goes into many other aspects.
The Senate house is of course the same building you can see in
Rome today
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curia_JuliaMint location: if these coins were issued shortly after or shortly before
Actium, then an
Italian mint would make sense. The sale description mentions
Rome. Brundisium is often also mentioned as a possibility, and if the issue was being paid to the troops involved, probably made more sense. The entire issue is struck to a common technical
standard so one
mint is indicated.
Andrew