Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
Denarius - Augustus CAESARI AVGVSTO
| Issuer | Roman Empire (27 BC - 395 AD) |
|---|---|
| Year | 18 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Central field depicts the toga picta draped over the tunica palmata, rendered in careful relief as the principal emblem of triumphal dress. Flanking the garments are an aquila (legionary eagle standard) to the left and an open laurel wreath to the right, both symbols of Roman military and civic honour. The legend arcs around the upper periphery and along the lower exergual border, reading S P Q R PARENTI CONS SVO, honouring Augustus as the protective parent of senate and people. The composition is strictly emblematic, devoid of a portrait, reflecting the restrained Republican aesthetic Augustus cultivated early in his reign. The hammered flan is slightly irregular, characteristic of late 1st-century BC mint production. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Latin |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
This issue belongs to the Lugdunum mint series struck around 18 BC, when Augustus was reorganizing Rome's monetary system following the chaos of the late Republic and civil wars. The Senate had traditionally controlled bronze coinage while Augustus retained authority over gold and silver — a division that was more political theater than functional separation, but one he maintained carefully to avoid the appearance of tyranny.
RIC I 101 is associated with the Spanish or Gallic mint activity of this period, Lugdunum being the principal western source for silver at this date. The type's survival rate is reasonable given its likely role supplying legionary pay.