Crawford 210/1, ROMAN REPUBLIC, Caius Junius, AR Denarius

Rome. The Republic.
Caius Junius C.f., 149 BCE.
AR Denarius (3.70g; 18mm).
Rome Mint.

Obverse: Helmeted head of Roma, facing right; X (mark-of-value = 10 asses), behind.

Reverse: Dioscuri galloping right with couched spears; C·IVNI· C· F, below; ROMA in linear frame in exergue.

References: Crawford 210/1; BMCRR 660-3; Sydenham 392; Junia 1.

Provenance: Roma Numismatics Auction VIII (28 Sep 2014), lot 832; Roma Numismatics Auction V (23 Mar 2013), Lot 504; NAC Auction 54 (24 Mar 2010), Lot 166.

This moneyer is unknown except for his coins. His coins have the distinction of being the first in the Republican series to bear patronymic initials, specifically identifying the moneyer versus other family members. In this case, the letters “C· F” represent Caii Filius (son of Caius). Thus, the moneyer is clearly identified as Caius Junius, the son of Caius Junius. In the later decades of the second century, this practice of individual identification, combined with type selections that highlighted ancestral deeds, was employed for political messaging campaigns by young moneyers on the path to consulship. The practice appears to have accelerated following the adoption of secret ballots circa 139 BCE (See, H.B. Mattingly, “Roman Republican Coinage c. 150-90 BC”: Essays Hersh, 1998).