Crawford 042/1, ROMAN REPUBLIC - AR Didrachm - Quadrigatus - VERY RARE

Rome. The Republic.
Corn-Ear Series, 214-212 BCE.
AR Didrachm-Quadrigatus (6.82g; 21mm).
Unknown Sicilian Mint.

Obverse: Laureate Janiform head of the Dioscuri.

Reverse: Jupiter and Victory in fast quadriga galloping right; corn ear below; ROMA in linear frame in exergue.

References: Crawford 42/1; Sydenham 66 (R8); BMCRR 108.

Provenance: Ex Naville Numismatics 41 (24 Jun 2018) Lot 389; ex NAC 50 (4 Apr 2011), Lot 1729; purchased from Freeman & Sear, before 2011.

The last few series of Roman silver didrachm coinage, produced from 225-212 BCE, are nicknamed "quadrigati" because of the common reverse type of Jupiter and Victory in a fast quadriga. Crawford's arrangement of quadrigati into distinct series requires a great amount of study to understand. Collectors and dealers alike often misattribute quadrigati among Crawford's series.

The Crawford 42 series of quadrigati, to which this example belongs, is the rarest of all the quadrigati series. In his study of the 42 series quadrigati, Charles Hersh could only locate 33 examples of the type. Based on the corn-ear control symbol, the series was likely struck somewhere in Sicily, perhaps during Rome’s Second Punic War offensive against Syracuse, from 214-212 BCE. While Crawford puts this series last in order of his various quadrigati series, it is likely they were produced near the same time as the debased, lightweight quadrigati that ended the Crawford 28 series. The coins are generally of debased style and metal, thought their weight is good, and in this regard they are similar to Crawford 31 quadrigati. Stylistically, the series 42 quadrigati typically display well-defined, separated “J”-shaped sideburns, with horizontal hairs, on the Janiform head. Neck truncations range from open C curve (as on this example) to straight and V truncations. On the reverse, Jupiter's thunderbolt is entirely within the line border, angle of the horses is on tbe low-side, and ROMA is always in relief in a linear frame. The type usually has a corn-ear on the reverse beneath the quadriga; however, “anonymous” versions of this series, without corn-ears but stylistically identical to the corn-eared coins, are known.