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Crawford 513/2, ROMAN IMPERATORIAL, M. Arrius Secundus, AR Denarius
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Rome, Moneyer Issues of the Imperatorial Period.
M. Arrius Secundus. 41 BCE.
AR Denarius (3.82g; 20mm).
Rome mint.
Obverse: M. ARRIVS - SECVNDVS; bare head, with slight beard, facing right.
Reverse: Victory honors - wreath, spear and phalera.
References: Crawford 513/2; HCRI 319; Sydenham 1084; BMCRR 4210; Arria 2; G. Lahusen, Die Bildnismunzen Der Romischen Republik, pl. 63, nos. 12 and 16 (this coin illustrated twice).
Provenance: Nomisma 59 (14 May 2019) Lot 134; Munzen und Medaillen XIX (5-6 Jun 1959) Lot 172; Munzhandlung Basel 10 (15 Mar 1938) Lot 486.
M. Arrius Secundus was likely son of Quintus Arrius, who had a victory in the Servile War against one of Spartacus’ lieutenants, but subsequently lost a battle to Spartacus himself. He was the only member of his gens to strike coins, and not much else is known about him.
The slightly-bearded, obverse portrait, while probably depicting the moneyer’s father, Quintus Arrius, also bears a striking resemblance to contemporaneous portraits of Octavian. However, without any inscription naming Caesar, a positive identification of the portrait remains debated by scholars. David Sear suggests that the portrait is deliberately ambiguous, as the political and military climate was very risky and the moneyer likely wanted plausible deniability that the portrait was Octavian. The reverse shows awards of victory granted to the moneyer’s father for his Servile War victory: a laurel wreath, golden spear and phalera (a military decoration attached to a harness and worn over a cuirass).
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