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Denarii of L. Calpurnius Piso L.f. L.n Frugi Struck at the Rome Mint in 90 B.C.
Crawford 340/1, SRCV I 235, RSC I Calpurnia 6 - 12d, Crawford 650 - 677, BMCRR Rome 1859 -2137
David
Sear notes in
SRCV I, on page 117, "
The extraordinarily large and complex issue [of Lucius Calpurnius Piso L.f. L.n Frugi, in 90 B.C.] represents one of the principal war-coinages of the Romans during the conflict with he Marsic Confederation. The control marks are legion and consist of letters, numerals, and symbols in a multitude of combination on ob. and rev."
H.A.
Seaby notes in
RSC I on page 25, "This is one of the most prolific issues in the whole republican series, the British Museum collection alone contains over 300 different varieties. The
type of the
head of
Apollo and of the horseman refers to the
Ludi Apollinares which were established in B.C> 212 the annual celebration of which was proposed by the
praetor L.
Calpurnius Piso, an ancestor of the moneyer."
Note: Caius Calpurnius Piso L.f. Frugi, the son of this moneyer, was himself a moneyer c. 67- 60 B.C. and issued denarii types that copied his father, with Apollo on the obverse and a horseman on the reverse. The coins of father and son can most easily be distinguished from each other by the name on the reverse. The father's coins read PISO FRVGI, L PISO FRVGI or L PISO L F. The son is C PISO L F FRVGI, often abbreviated but always beginning with C (unless it is worn, unstruck or off flan). For the coins of Caius Calpurnius Piso L.f. Frugi, see the NumisWiki page for Hersh Piso, the primary reference for his types.
References
Crawford, M.
Roman Republican Coinage. (
Cambridge, 1974).
Grueber, H.
Coins of the Roman Republic in The British Museum. (
London, 1910).
Russo, R.
The RBW Collection of Roman Republican Coins. (Zurich, 2013).
Seaby, H., D.
Sear, & R. Loosley.
Roman Silver Coins, Volume I, The Republic to Augustus. (
London, 1989).
Sear, D.
Roman Coins and Their Values, Volume One, The Republic and the Twelve Caesars 280 BC - AD 86. (
London, 2000).
Sydenham, E.
Aes Grave, a Study of the Cast Coinages of Rome and Central Italy. (
London, 1926).
Sydenham, E.
The Coinage of the Roman Republic. (
London, 1952).
Reverse:
PISO FRVGI, control symbol below
inscription -
RSC I Calpurnia 6a,
Sydenham 653a (
rare),
Crawford 340/1,
SRCV I 235,
BMCRR Rome 1864 (
symbols 9/10)
Reverse:
PISO FRVGI / ROMA, -
RSC I Calpurnia 7,
Sydenham 654 (
rare),
Crawford 340/1,
SRCV I 235,
BMCRR Rome 1866 (
symbols 13/14)
Reverse:
L. PISO L. F / ROMA, control letter above -
RSC I Calpurnia 7b,
Sydenham 654a (very
rare),
Crawford 340/1,
SRCV I 235,
BMCRR Rome -
Obverse:
dot border, X (mark of value) below chin, control symbol behind
Horseman galloping right holding PALM
Obverse:
bead and reel border,
X (mark of value) below chin, symbol behind
Reverse:
L. PISO FRVG(I), control symbol above rider,
obv: X below chin,
bead and reel border, symbol behind -
RSC I Calpurnia 8,
Sydenham 655 (
scarce),
Crawford 340/1,
SRCV I 235,
BMCRR Rome 1868 (
symbols 15/16)
Reverse:
L. PISO FRVG(I),
dot(s) (fraction signs) beside
symbols on both sides -
RSC I Calpurnia 8b,
Sydenham 655a (very
scarce),
Crawford
340/1,
SRCV I 235,
BMCRR Rome 1871 (
symbols 9/26)
Reverse:
L. PISO FRVG(I),
no control symbol on reverse -
RSC I Calpurnia 8c,
Sydenham 655b (
rare),
Crawford 340/1,
SRCV I 235
Reverse:
L. PISO. L.F. / FRVGI -
RSC I Calpurnia 9,
Sydenham 652 (very
scarce),
Crawford 340/1,
SRCV I 235,
BMCRR Rome 1861 - 1863
Reverse:
L. PISO. L.F. / FRVGI, dot in place of symbol on
reverse -
RSC I Calpurnia 9a,
Sydenham 652,
Crawford 340/1,
SRCV I 235,
BMCRR Rome -
Reverse:
L. PISO. L.F. / FRVGI, fraction sign above,
X (mark of value) below -
RSC I Calpurnia 9b,
Sydenham 654b (very
rare),
Crawford 340/1,
SRCV I 235
Obverse:
Roman control number (C - CXXIIII at least) behind ApolloReverse:
L. PISO FRVGI / ROMA (MA ligate), Roman control number above (CXXVIII - CXXXXVI)-
Sydenham 662,
RSC I Calpurnia 12b,
Crawford 340/1,
SRCV I 235,
BMCRR Rome -????
Obverse:
dot border,
X (mark of value) below chin, symbol behind
Reverse:
L. PISO FRVG(I) / ROMA below, symbol, letter or number above or below -
RSC I Calpurnia 8a,
Sydenham 655,
Crawford 340/1,
SRCV I 235,
BMCRR Rome 1869 (symbol 17/18),
BMCRR Rome 1870 (symbol 21/22)
Obverse:
dot border,
X (mark of value) behind
Apollo, Latin letter below chin
Reverse:
L. PISO FRVG(I) / ROMA below, symbol above -
Sydenham 655,
RSC I Calpurnia 11a,
Crawford 340/1,
SRCV I 235,
BMCRR Rome 1872 (B/star),
BMCRR Rome 1872 (C/sword in sheath),
Obverse:
dot border, symbol, letter or number below chin or behind
Reverse:
L. PISO FRVG(I) -
RSC I Calpurnia 11,
Sydenham 663 - 670,
Crawford 340/1,
SRCV I 235,
BMCRR Rome 1938 - 2129
Horseman galloping right holding WHIP (Sydenham 658 - 658c)
Obverse:
X (mark of value) below chin, Latin control letter behind ApolloReverse:
L. PISO FRVGI / ROMA, control symbol above -
Sydenham 658,
RSC I Calpurnia 12b
Obverse:
Latin control letter right, no mark of valueReverse:
L. PISO FRVGI / ROMA, control symbol above -
Sydenham 658a,
RSC I Calpurnia 12b
Obverse:
Latin control letter right, no mark of valueReverse:
L. PISO FRVGI / ROMA, no control symbol above -
Sydenham 658b,
RSC I Calpurnia 12b
Obverse:
Roman control number (X - XXVIII) behind ApolloReverse:
L. PISO FRVGI / Roma monogram -
Sydenham 660,
RSC I Calpurnia 12b,
Crawford 340/1,
SRCV I 235,
BMCRR Rome 1869 - 70
Obverse:
Roman control number (X - XXVIII) behind ApolloReverse:
L. PISO FRVGI / Roma monogram -
Sydenham 660,
RSC I Calpurnia 12b,
Crawford 340/1,
SRCV I 235,
BMCRR Rome 1869 - 70
Horseman galloping right holding WHIP
Horseman galloping right holding PALM
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