Denarius of Augustus

This is another recent find, which came in from Colin Pearson. One of his earlier finds was a hammered silver coin of Elizabeth I but this one is a Roman denarius. It’s nice when a detectorist has access to sites that give up a wide range of finds.

This denarius is a coin of Augustus, who was originally known as Octavian and was the great-nephew of Julius Caesar. After the death of Mark Antony, Octavian became undisputed master of the Roman world and in 27 BC he was given the name ‘Augustus’. Rome prospered under his rule and it is said of him that he found Rome of brick and left it marble.

On the obverse is a laureate head of the emperor and a legend reading CAESAR AVGVSTVS DIVI F PATER PATRIAE. On the reverse are the standing figures of Gaius and Lucius Caesars, with a shield and spears between them and a legend reading C L CAESARES AVGVSTI COS DESIG PRINC IVVENT.

In volume I of David Sear’s Roman Coins and Their Values denarii of this type, which isn’t rare, are listed as number 1597. The coins were struck at Lugdunum from 2 BC to 4 AD.

Valuation

On the obverse the coin is weak on the forehead of Augustus but is otherwise in about VF condition. On the reverse the whole of the central area is weak. As this denarius is one of the leas scarce types of Augustus, in its present state of preservation my price range would be no higher than £120 – £150.