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Denarius - Mark Antony LEG VIII
| Issuer | Roman Republic (509 BC - 27 BC) |
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| Year | 32 BC - 31 BC |
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| Composition | Silver |
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| Obverse description | A Roman war galley (praetorian galley) depicted in profile, sailing to the right, with oars extended below the hull and a prominent aphlaston (curved stern ornament) at the rear. A scepter tied with a fillet is mounted upright on the prow, serving as a symbol of command. The legend ANT·AVG and III·VIR·R·P·C is distributed above and below the vessel respectively, rendered in clear Latin characters. The entire design is enclosed within a border of dots, typical of late Republican military coinage. The flan is irregular in shape, characteristic of the hastily produced field mint issues struck to pay Antony's legions. |
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| Obverse lettering | ANT·AVG III·VIR·R·P·C (Translation: (Marc) Antony Augustus, Triumvir for the establishing of the Republic) |
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Struck in a mobile military mint traveling with Antony's forces in the eastern Mediterranean, these legionary denarii were produced in enormous quantities to pay the troops assembling for the confrontation with Octavian that would culminate at Actium in 31 BC. The silver is notoriously debased — fineness running well below Republican standards — which is why they circulated for generations after Antony's defeat, turning up in hoards well into the second century AD.
LEG VIII refers to Legio VIII, one of the veteran legions that had served under Caesar. The sheer volume struck across all legionary issues means individual examples are common; the rarity gradient runs by legion number, with some issues orders of magnitude scarcer than others.