Denarius Calpurnia: Gaius Calpurnius Piso Frugi, C•PISO•L•F•FR

Gaius Calpurnius Piso Frugi served as moneyer around the time of the lex Gabinia, the law passed in 67 BC granting Pompey his sweeping command against the pirates of the Mediterranean — a political moment that electrified Rome and reshuffled factional loyalties overnight. The Calpurnii Pisones were an old plebeian family with deep consular roots, and the cognomen Frugi, meaning "frugal" or "worthy," had been attached to the line since the second century.

RRC 408/1 is notable for its extraordinary number of obverse and reverse die combinations, suggesting a very large original mintage — possibly connected to the financial demands of Pompey's campaign itself.