Aureus AVGVSTO OB C S, Liber

This aureus belongs to a group issued in the names of Gaius and Lucius Caesar, Augustus's grandsons and designated heirs, whose public presentation was carefully managed as part of his succession strategy. The "OB C S" — ob civis servatos, for saving the citizens — invokes the corona civica, the civic crown awarded to Augustus by the Senate in 27 BC, a distinction he exploited relentlessly in official coinage for decades. Liber, the Italian deity equated with Bacchus, appears here in an unusual pairing that likely reflects a specific votive or religious program rather than casual iconographic choice.