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Crawford 501/1, ROMAN IMPERATORIAL, Brutus, AR Denarius
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Rome, The Imperators.
Brutus, 43-2 BC
AR Denarius (3.76 g; 21 mm)
Mint traveling with Brutus
Obv: LEIBERTAS. Liberty head facing right.
Rev: CAEPIO BRVTVS PRO COS. Lyre with quiver and filleted olive branch.
References: Crawford 501/1; HCRI 199; Smyth (1856) IX/11(this coin described).
Provenance: Ex NAC 84 (2015), Lot 859; NAC 9 (16 Apr 1996), Lot 758; NAC 4 (27 Feb 1991), Lot 289; NAC 2 (21 Feb 1990), Lot 481; Duke of Northumberland Collection [Sotheby's, 4 Nov 1982, Lot 475], acquired before 1856.
Liberty is a common theme on coins of the tyranicides who claimed to have liberated The Republic from the regal aspirations of Julius Caesar; so it's no surprise to find Libertas prominent on this coin of Brutus. Sear points out that the reverese is likely derived from the frequent depiction of lyres, quivers and fillteted branches on Lycian Leage coins. This issue was iikely struck in Lycia.
This coin holds the oldest, verifiable provenance in my collection. It is from the Duke of Northumberland Collection, catalogued by Admiral William Smyth in his 1856 book, "Descriptive Catalogue of A Cabinet of Roman Family Coins Belonging to His Grace the Duke of Northumberland," and subsequently sold by Sotheby’s in 1982. The Smyth book has no plates (line drawn or otherwise), but it does contain detailed descriptions of the collection coins with weights in grains. This coin is among those described in Smyth’s book, therefore it must have been acquired by the Duke’s family before 1856. Smyth described the collection as being in the Duke’s family for many years, so the ownership history conceivably dates to the 18th century.
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