Roman Republican Coin Hoard Found in Italy.

[Roman Collector]

Story from Yahoo News.

"A hoard of 175 silver coins unearthed in a forest in Italy may have been buried for safe keeping during a Roman civil war.

The coins seem to date from 82 B.C., the year the Roman general Lucius Cornelius Sulla fought a bloody war across Italy against his enemies among the leaders of the Roman Republic, which resulted in Sulla's victory and his ascension as dictator of the Roman state.

The archaeologists who investigated the hoard of 175 silver Roman denarii — the equivalent of tens of thousands of dollars in today's money — suggested it may have been buried by a Roman soldier who was then killed in battle."

[Ryro]

Oooh, you can see a sideways Pegasus! Here's mine, which is much darker with cabinet toning:

I hope they share pics of them all. 

[DonnaML]

I mentioned that article on Friday in the "Coins that Don't Deserve their own Thread" thread, but am pleased to see it get more attention. My comment there was that "one rarely sees anything these days about Roman Republican hoards; mostly it's Late Roman material. Hopefully the coins will be available to scholars, and be helpful in resolving some of the dating issues that still exist." In fact, I can't even remember the last time I saw anything about the discovery of a Republican hoard, either in Italy or elsewhere  And I don't know how long it's been since a previously unknown Roman Republican type (as opposed to some minor variation or a previously unknown control number or symbol) was last discovered: I think the overwhelming majority were already known when Grueber's BMCRR was published in 1910, even if his dating theories have long since been superseded. So this discovery, even assuming that all the types were already known, is good to see.

[Phil Davis]

19 hours ago, DonnaML said:

I mentioned that article on Friday in the "Coins that Don't Deserve their own Thread" thread, but am pleased to see it get more attention. My comment there was that "one rarely sees anything these days about Roman Republican hoards; mostly it's Late Roman material. Hopefully the coins will be available to scholars, and be helpful in resolving some of the dating issues that still exist." In fact, I can't even remember the last time I saw anything about the discovery of a Republican hoard, either in Italy or elsewhere  And I don't know how long it's been since a previously unknown Roman Republican type (as opposed to some minor variation or a previously unknown control number or symbol) was last discovered: I think the overwhelming majority were already known when Grueber's BMCRR was published in 1910, even if his dating theories have long since been superseded. So this discovery, even assuming that all the types were already known, is good to see.

Regarding genuinely new RR types, here's one... maybe... possibly... who knows?

This is what I said about it in the Gemini X catalogue in 2013:

L. Valerius Acisculus. Denarius, 3.13g. (4h). Rome, 45 BC. Obv: Garlanded head of Bacchus right, ACISCVLS (sic) and pickaxe behind; all within laurel wreath. Rx: Laureate and diademed head of Venus right, L VALERIVS before. Crawford-. Sydenham-. RSC Valeria-. Sear, Imperators-. Somewhat corroded. VF.

Ex Randy Haviland Collection.

While a handful of "new" Republican quinarii have appeared in recent years, of types known previously only on denarii, it has been hundreds of years since an entirely unknown Roman Republican denarius has been discovered. The present piece is therefore a true "holy grail" of Republican numismatics, if it is authentic. We believe it is a genuine new discovery of enormous importance, but not without reservations There are many arguments in favor of this coin's authenticity. The extensive coinage of L. Valerius Acisculus is unusually varied, including representations of Apollo, Europa on bull, a human-headed owl, Sibyl, Jupiter, an anguipedic giant, Sol, Luna in biga, Victory, a pick-axe and a double cornucopia. There are five main denarius types, with a number of sub-varieties; one quinarius and two sestertii. The fractions are of considerable rarity, while the denarius with Jupiter and the giant, Crawford 474/4, is one of the classic rarities of the entire Republican series. (See lot 252 for an example of this desirable type.) Given this abundance of imagination, the addition of Bacchus and Venus to Acisculus' pantheon is hardly unexpected. The engraving style of the present piece is entirely consistent with late-Republican artistic norms; compare for example the head of Venus here to that on the famous "Sulla's Dream" denarius of L. Aemilius Buca, Crawford 480/1, struck a year later in 44 BC. This coin incorporates subtle and persuasive details such as the laurel wreath surrounding Bacchus and the double-headed pick or acisculus--a punning allusion to the moneyer's cognomen--which occur on other types of this issue. If this is a modern invention, it is a remarkably adroit and ingenious one. The physical appearance of the coin is somewhat troubling however. The overall light corrosion could, potentially, be an artifice intended to hide evidence of forgery. The obverse legend is slightly blundered--ACISCVLS rather than ACISCVLVS--and the letter forms are atypically sketchy in comparison to the "normal" types of this issue. The slight "bulge" on the face of Bacchus is difficult to explain. That said, the difficulties, while real, seem insufficient to justify condemnation of this coin out of hand. Close examination under a microscope reveals very persuasive mineral deposits and no unambiguous evidence of forgery. The same corrosion, on a coin of "normal" types, would not engender an outright declaration of forgery. Many experts have examined it, without arriving at consensus as to its authenticity. The original seller of this piece, Tom Cederlind, stated that Dr. Jonathan Williams of the British Museum had carefully examined it and believed it to be genuine. Other experts in Republican numismatics have expressed misgivings about it or condemned it unequivocally . One longtime student made the astute observation that a "discovery" piece such as this will always engender doubts if the circumstances of its discovery are unknown We urge prospective bidders to carefully examine this piece and arrive at their own conclusion as to its authenticity. Sold as is, no returns..

Estimate: 2000 USD    Sold 2400 USD plus juice

Ten years on, I still "believe" in this piece, but without real conviction. Certainly, if this was a known type, few would doubt that it's crappy-but-genuine. The fact that no more have appeared speaks to authenticity imo. Could a forger of this skill really resist making more? One last tidbit about this intriguing coin: iirc (and I'm pretty sure I do!), it sold to a Russian collector, well-known at the time but no longer active. I wouldn't expect it to reappear anytime soon, but who knows.

Edited April 26, 2023 by Phil Davis

[Marsyas Mike]

This is indeed a very interesting hoard.  Thanks for sharing it @Roman Collector

19 hours ago, DonnaML said:

Hopefully the coins will be available to scholars, and be helpful in resolving some of the dating issues that still exist.

Yes indeed, I hope so too @DonnaML.  A while back I posted some stuff I found online about the dating of denarii issued around this late Sulla vs. Marius era (c. 84-82 B.C.).  I do hope the OP hoard gets some more detailed photos to see what else was in there.  Here's my post: 

https://www.numisforums.com/topic/937-sulla-vs-marius-fire-at-the-rome-mint-and-the-marsyas-denarii-of-l-censorinus-and-other-issues-crawford-adjusted/#comment-16148

[ValiantKnight]

On 4/25/2023 at 4:14 PM, DonnaML said:

"one rarely sees anything these days about Roman Republican hoards

Anytime I see a reference to Roman Republic coin hoards, for some reason I get reminded of the sad fate of the majority of the Brescello Hoard, a massive group of aureii found in 1714:

http://a-coins.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-brescello-hoard-largest-and-most.html?m=1

 

[SteveJBrinkman]

On 4/25/2023 at 2:14 PM, DonnaML said:

I mentioned that article on Friday in the "Coins that Don't Deserve their own Thread" thread, but am pleased to see it get more attention. My comment there was that "one rarely sees anything these days about Roman Republican hoards; mostly it's Late Roman material. Hopefully the coins will be available to scholars, and be helpful in resolving some of the dating issues that still exist." In fact, I can't even remember the last time I saw anything about the discovery of a Republican hoard, either in Italy or elsewhere  And I don't know how long it's been since a previously unknown Roman Republican type (as opposed to some minor variation or a previously unknown control number or symbol) was last discovered: I think the overwhelming majority were already known when Grueber's BMCRR was published in 1910, even if his dating theories have long since been superseded. So this discovery, even assuming that all the types were already known, is good to see.

I've observed new RR hoards that have entered into the market, several recently, but without any fanfare or scholarly publication.   The hallmarks of these hoards are large offerings  with new emergences of scarce or rare issues.  The offerings have a "brand new" appearance (recently cleaned) across all the lots in the sale, and often disbursed across many sales by different dealers.

I suspect this is the result of the cultural heritage laws that make it so difficult to report on new finds without the risk of seizure.