A wonderful coin! I
hope it is yours!
Here I want to present one of my favourite historical coins. Not only because of its colour but of its historical importance too!
Roman Republic, C. Clovius,
gens CloviaAE
Dupondius 27mm, 14.87 g
North Italian mint, 45 BC
obv. Draped and winged
bust of
Victory r., wearing hair up;
star behind
CAESAR.
DIC.
TER rev. Minerva walking l., holding
trophy over shoulder, spear and
shield, decorated with
Medusa;
erect
serpent at feet l.
[C.] CLOVI before, PRAEF behind
Crawford 476/1a;
RPC I 601/1; CRI 62;
Sydenham 1025; C.7
Scarce to
rare with excellent
provenance, qabout VF, attractive yellow-olive river-patina
Ex Glendining’s (25 June 1997), lot 45.
Ex
CNG Caesar's
victory over the
Pompeians at Munda on 17 March 45 BC resulted in a total
victory for the
dictator, thus bringing to an end the Pompeian opposition to
his supremacy in the
Roman world. The remarkable Caesarian
aes issue represented by this well-preserved specimen would appear to be closely associated with the gold
aurei and quinarii of L. Plancus struck in Rome in the autumn of 45 BC for the purpose of distribution at Caesar's
Spanish triumph. The issue of
Roman aes at this time was a great novelty as regular production
had ceased four decades before and was not destined to be resumed until the Augustan reform of circa 19-18 BC. The idea probably originated with the Pompeian coinage of bronze
asses issued in
Spain prior to the battle of Munda. Caesar's issue would have served the purpose of low value donation pieces for distribution to the populace during the triumphal procession through the streets of Rome. The
bust of
Victory and the warlike figure of
Minerva convey a clear message that this was a special coinage issued for the celebration of a
military success. Not a great deal is known of C. Clovius (or Cluvius), the prefect entrusted with the production of this most unusual coinage. We are not even sure of the precise nature of
his prefectship, though it is tempting to assume that he was one of the six praefecti Urbi appointed by
Caesar before he set out for
Spain. In 44 BC he was governor of Cisalpine
Gaul and there appear to be later references to him during Augustus' rule.
This example represents the first time that orichalchum ("mountain copper"), or brass was used to strike coins and commemorates Caesar's
victory in
Spain. For the first time in almost forty years,
aes coinage was reintroduced, and one may suspect that, as in the case of
contemporary Pompeian issues from
Spain, the reason was to recall traditional
republican ideas. The
style of those coins draws its inspiration from the traditional
Janus types.
Caesar, however, was completely new, not only in the material, but also the theme. Here, the
bust of
Victory for the
obverse and
Minerva for the
reverse, sends a clear message about Caesar's
military abilities. Who the prefect Clovius is, what prefecture he held, or from what
mint these coins originate remain matters
still open to debate, though
hoard finds suggest a northern
Italian origin, possibly
Milan.
(from
CNG)
Best regards