Achieved! My #1 ancient coin collecting goal!

[CPK]

A week or two ago in @ambr0zie “Milestone thread” I mentioned that I had a major milestone coin coming in the mail. Well, after some mishaps and delays, it’s finally arrived! And I could not be more excited to present to you all –

*drumroll*

my new, lifetime portrait denarius of the man himself, Gaius Julius Caesar! 😮 🥳🥳🥳

 

A bucket list coin if ever there was one, and one which I thought might take years to acquire! The problem was, while I wanted a half-decent example, I wasn’t sure I wanted to sink $1,500-$2000 into any coin. Yet it’s pretty unusual to find a respectable specimen for under that, at least these days!

I wasn’t necessarily actively shopping for a lifetime JC denarius, but…while browsing some coins for sale recently I noticed this worn but quite respectable specimen offered at a price just within my means - at least, within my means if you took a few steps back and squinted a little. 😬😉

The coin fulfilled my most basic requirements: first, a fully outlined (if not greatly detailed) portrait; second, at least most of the inscriptions – the most important being his name; I also wanted a “DICT PERPETVO” type, as that was perhaps the most flagrantly monarchical of Caesar’s titles, the coins featuring it also among the latest struck in his lifetime. The rather less-than-common reverse type added appeal to me as well, though of course I would have been perfectly contented with the standard Venus type too.

Well, you know how it is! As Julius Caesar’s assassin Brutus is said to have remarked, “There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune an empty wallet and a remarkable and fascinating piece of numismatic history” or words to that effect. 🙄😉 After some brief but intense deliberation I made the purchase, and I couldn’t be more pleased!

Now as for the history…this type was possibly one the very latest struck during Caesar’s lifetime, since he wasn’t made dictator in perpetvo until mid-February of 44 BC. Most date this type from February to March of 44 BC. Andreas Alföldi, the great Hungarian scholar and numismatist who specialized in the coinage of Julius Caesar, narrows this date down strictly to early March. Andrew McCabe favors Alföldi’s date, though acknowledges that the differences between Alföldi and Crawford are minimal. This would mean that this coin was struck possibly within a few days – at most, a week or two – of Caesar’s assassination. 😮

- THE COIN THAT KILLED CAESAR -

This, and other similar types are sometimes called “the coins that killed Caesar”. While that may be a bit of an overstatement, there’s no doubt that Caesar choosing to strike his own portrait onto coins – something no Roman had ever done before – was a blatant violation of centuries of Republican tradition. Add to that fact Caesar’s use of the title DICT PERPETVO (a kingship in all but name), and you can imagine how such a coin would have angered the conservative Senators.

The reverse of this type is interesting and illustrates the degree of power Caesar wielded in these last days of his life. A bundle of fasces, an ancient symbol going back to Etruscan times, symbolized the imperium or magisterial power; this is crossed with a winged caduceus, a symbol of the god Mercury, often associated with peace and prosperity. The axe or secespita was a ceremonial knife used in sacrificial rituals – no doubt a reference to Caesar’s office as Pontifex Maximus, the high priest of Jupiter: another lifelong appointment. The clasped hands speak of a concord and unity that was maybe more wishful thinking than anything else, and the globe symbolized the world, over which Rome ruled. In sum, the message we get from L. Buca is one of peace, prosperity, and concord under the gods throughout the whole of the Roman world. All thanks to the man on the other side of the coin, of course!

And here is a video showing the coin in hand (better than in the photo):

 

Thanks for reading and please, I'd love to see all of your Julius Caesar portrait coins (most of which will probably put mine to shame! 😄)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Tusculum portrait, possibly the only surviving sculpture of Caesar made during his lifetime.

Archaeological Museum, Turin, Italy.

[image and description from Wikipedia]

 

Shakespeare's brilliant opening lines of Act III, Scene I - the brief, but darkly portentous exchange between Caesar and the Soothsayer:

 

 

La mort de Cèsar (The Death of Caesar), an 1806 painting by Vincenzo Camuccini depicting the assassination of Julius Caesar:

"Speak, hands, for me!" - Casca

[image and description from Wikipedia]

 

The Death of Caesar (French: La Mort de César) is an 1867 painting by the French artist Jean-Léon Gérôme. It depicts the moment after the assassination of Julius Caesar, when the jubilant conspirators are walking away from Caesar's dead body at the Theatre of Pompey, on the Ides of March (March 15), 44 BC. The painting is kept at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.

"Liberty! Freedom! Tyranny is dead!" - Cinna

[image and description from Wikipedia]

 

Irony of ironies, it wasn't too long before Brutus himself began to put his own portrait and titles on the coinage, along with an explicit celebration of the assassination of Julius Caesar on the ides of March. Of course, this is only a replica of one of the most famous coin types in all ancient history:

 

But in the end, the assassins gravely underestimated their greatest enemy...

"Look, - I draw a sword against conspirators; when think you that the sword goes up again? - Never, till Caesar's three-and-thirty wounds be well avenged; or till another Caesar have added slaughter to the words of traitors." - Octavius Caesar

 

Edited October 20, 2023 by CPK

[Kali]

Great example. Mine is a L Buca too.

Julius Caesar (February-March 44 B.C)

AR Denarius
Lifetime Issue
O: Wreathed head of Caesar right; CAESAR downward to right, DICT PERPETVO upward to left.
R: Venus Victrix standing left, holding Victory in outstretched right hand and vertical scepter in left; L • BVC[A] downwards to right. L. Aemilius Buca, moneyer.
Rome Mint
3.92g
17mm
Crawford 480/8; Alföldi Type XIV, 62–3, 67, and 69 (A13/R22); CRI 105; Sydenham 1061; RSC 23; RBW 1683.

[Roman Collector]

Coingratulations,   @CPK!!!

[CPK]

38 minutes ago, Kali said:

Great example. Mine is a L Buca too.

Julius Caesar (February-March 44 B.C)

AR Denarius
Lifetime Issue
O: Wreathed head of Caesar right; CAESAR downward to right, DICT PERPETVO upward to left.
R: Venus Victrix standing left, holding Victory in outstretched right hand and vertical scepter in left; L • BVC[A] downwards to right. L. Aemilius Buca, moneyer.
Rome Mint
3.92g
17mm
Crawford 480/8; Alföldi Type XIV, 62–3, 67, and 69 (A13/R22); CRI 105; Sydenham 1061; RSC 23; RBW 1683.

That's a nice heavy one! Great detail on the portrait too, particularly on the wreath and hair!

[CPK]

39 minutes ago, Roman Collector said:

Coingratulations,   @CPK!!!

Thanks! I can still hardly believe it! 😄

[Curtisimo]

Congratulations @CPK! What a wonderful coin. This is one of the most significant coins ever. I am very happy for you. Are you working on a 12 Caesars set?

I ended up getting two JC coins this year. Below is the only one of them that I have photographed at the moment.

Julius Caesar 
AR Denarius, African mint, 47-46 BC
(19 mm, 6h, 3.83 g)
Obv.: Diademed head of Venus to right
Rev.: Aeneas advancing to left, carrying palladium and Anchises on shoulder; CAESAR downwards to right. 
Ref.: Crawford 458/1; CRI 55; BMCRR East 31; RSC 12
From the Collection of Z.P. (Austria), Roma E-sale 107, lot 926 (March 16, 2023)

[expat]

Well done for finding the coin of your dreams. It is an example to be proud of.

[Di Nomos]

I don't collect Roman coins, but if I did, a lifetime portrait coin of Julius Caesar would be top of my want list too. Have even thought about it despite being a Greek nut!

Congratulations on a great coin and the beautiful presentation.

[Limes]

Fantastic acquisition @CPK, congratulations! The portrait is very nice, and despite the wear all features are still remaining. And of course, its a life time issue, which makes it even better. 

Below is mine. 

[JayAg47]

Great acquisition! 

[Furryfrog02]

Congratulations! That is quite an achievement. 

[shanxi]

Nice coin. I'm still missing a livetime portrait.

 

Here is my post lifetime portrait.

Marcus Antonius
AR-Denar, ca. 43 v.C.
mint in Gallia
Obv: M ANTON IMP Head of Marcus Antonius r., lituus behind
Rev: CAESAR DIC Laureate head of Julius Caesar r., jug behind
Ag, 3.81g, 18mm
Ref: Cr.: 488/1, Sydenham: 1165, Sear 118

 

[CPK]

4 hours ago, Curtisimo said:

Congratulations @CPK! What a wonderful coin. This is one of the most significant coins ever. I am very happy for you. Are you working on a 12 Caesars set?

I ended up getting two JC coins this year. Below is the only one of them that I have photographed at the moment.

Julius Caesar 
AR Denarius, African mint, 47-46 BC
(19 mm, 6h, 3.83 g)
Obv.: Diademed head of Venus to right
Rev.: Aeneas advancing to left, carrying palladium and Anchises on shoulder; CAESAR downwards to right. 
Ref.: Crawford 458/1; CRI 55; BMCRR East 31; RSC 12
From the Collection of Z.P. (Austria), Roma E-sale 107, lot 926 (March 16, 2023)

That's a really nice sharp example! Congrats!

I'm not really trying to put together a "12 Caesars" set (although I did just finish reading Suetonius's history the other day.) I'd need to replace my decrepit Otho I sold awhile back. I just wanted the lifetime JC portrait for its own sake. But I would love to add other coins struck under Julius Caesar. I have an elephant denarius, but I'd also someday like to get the one with bound captives. They'll probably be longer-term goals though, too!

 

4 hours ago, expat said:

Well done for finding the coin of your dreams. It is an example to be proud of.

Thanks!

4 hours ago, Di Nomos said:

I don't collect Roman coins, but if I did, a lifetime portrait coin of Julius Caesar would be top of my want list too. Have even thought about it despite being a Greek nut!

Congratulations on a great coin and the beautiful presentation.

Thanks! I find the history of it all just captivating - it was one of the most consequential and momentous events in ancient history.

4 hours ago, Limes said:

Fantastic acquisition @CPK, congratulations! The portrait is very nice, and despite the wear all features are still remaining. And of course, its a life time issue, which makes it even better. 

Below is mine. 

Thanks! That is a beautiful specimen - and I like the veiled head types too, as a further reference to Caesar's religious office. Nice sharp inscriptions too. 🤩

2 hours ago, JayAg47 said:

Great acquisition! 

Thanks! A score like this helps to offset any disappointment from previous misses. 😉 

2 hours ago, Furryfrog02 said:

Congratulations! That is quite an achievement. 

Thanks!

2 hours ago, shanxi said:

Nice coin. I'm still missing a livetime portrait.

 

Here is my post lifetime portrait.

Marcus Antonius
AR-Denar, ca. 43 v.C.
mint in Gallia
Obv: M ANTON IMP Head of Marcus Antonius r., lituus behind
Rev: CAESAR DIC Laureate head of Julius Caesar r., jug behind
Ag, 3.81g, 18mm
Ref: Cr.: 488/1, Sydenham: 1165, Sear 118

 

A very nice specimen! I don't see those dual portrait Caesar/Antony very often. And those are both fantastic portraits!

[David Atherton]

10 hours ago, CPK said:

A week or two ago in @ambr0zie “Milestone thread” I mentioned that I had a major milestone coin coming in the mail. Well, after some mishaps and delays, it’s finally arrived! And I could not be more excited to present to you all –

*drumroll*

my new, lifetime portrait denarius of the man himself, Gaius Julius Caesar! 😮 🥳🥳🥳

 

A bucket list coin if ever there was one, and one which I thought might take years to acquire! The problem was, while I wanted a half-decent example, I wasn’t sure I wanted to sink $1,500-$2000 into any coin. Yet it’s pretty unusual to find a respectable specimen for under that, at least these days!

I wasn’t necessarily actively shopping for a lifetime JC denarius, but…while browsing some coins for sale recently I noticed this worn but quite respectable specimen offered at a price just within my means - at least, within my means if you took a few steps back and squinted a little. 😬😉

The coin fulfilled my most basic requirements: first, a fully outlined (if not greatly detailed) portrait; second, at least most of the inscriptions – the most important being his name; I also wanted a “DICT PERPETVO” type, as that was perhaps the most flagrantly monarchical of Caesar’s titles, the coins featuring it also among the latest struck in his lifetime. The rather less-than-common reverse type added appeal to me as well, though of course I would have been perfectly contented with the standard Venus type too.

Well, you know how it is! As Julius Caesar’s assassin Brutus is said to have remarked, “There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune an empty wallet and a remarkable and fascinating piece of numismatic history” or words to that effect. 🙄😉 After some brief but intense deliberation I made the purchase, and I couldn’t be more pleased!

Now as for the history…this type was possibly one the very latest struck during Caesar’s lifetime, since he wasn’t made dictator in perpetvo until mid-February of 44 BC. Most date this type from February to March of 44 BC. Andreas Alföldi, the great Hungarian scholar and numismatist who specialized in the coinage of Julius Caesar, narrows this date down strictly to early March. Andrew McCabe favors Alföldi’s date, though acknowledges that the differences between Alföldi and Crawford are minimal. This would mean that this coin was struck possibly within a few days – at most, a week or two – of Caesar’s assassination. 😮

- THE COIN THAT KILLED CAESAR -

This, and other similar types are sometimes called “the coins that killed Caesar”. While that may be a bit of an overstatement, there’s no doubt that Caesar choosing to strike his own portrait onto coins – something no Roman had ever done before – was a blatant violation of centuries of Republican tradition. Add to that fact Caesar’s use of the title DICT PERPETVO (a kingship in all but name), and you can imagine how such a coin would have angered the conservative Senators.

The reverse of this type is interesting and illustrates the degree of power Caesar wielded in these last days of his life. A bundle of fasces, an ancient symbol going back to Etruscan times, symbolized the imperium or magisterial power; this is crossed with a winged caduceus, a symbol of the god Mercury, often associated with peace and prosperity. The axe or secespita was a ceremonial knife used in sacrificial rituals – no doubt a reference to Caesar’s office as Pontifex Maximus, the high priest of Jupiter: another lifelong appointment. The clasped hands speak of a concord and unity that was maybe more wishful thinking than anything else, and the globe symbolized the world, over which Rome ruled. In sum, the message we get from L. Buca is one of peace, prosperity, and concord under the gods throughout the whole of the Roman world. All thanks to the man on the other side of the coin, of course!

And here is a video showing the coin in hand (better than in the photo):

 

 

Thanks for reading and please, I'd love to see all of your Julius Caesar portrait coins (most of which will probably put mine to shame! 😄)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Tusculum portrait, possibly the only surviving sculpture of Caesar made during his lifetime.

Archaeological Museum, Turin, Italy.

[image and description from Wikipedia]

 

Shakespeare's brilliant opening lines of Act III, Scene I - the brief, but darkly portentous exchange between Caesar and the Soothsayer:

 

 

La mort de Cèsar (The Death of Caesar), an 1806 painting by Vincenzo Camuccini depicting the assassination of Julius Caesar:

"Speak, hands, for me!" - Casca

[image and description from Wikipedia]

 

The Death of Caesar (French: La Mort de César) is an 1867 painting by the French artist Jean-Léon Gérôme. It depicts the moment after the assassination of Julius Caesar, when the jubilant conspirators are walking away from Caesar's dead body at the Theatre of Pompey, on the Ides of March (March 15), 44 BC. The painting is kept at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.

"Liberty! Freedom! Tyranny is dead!" - Cinna

[image and description from Wikipedia]

 

Irony of ironies, it wasn't too long before Brutus himself began to put his own portrait and titles on the coinage, along with an explicit celebration of the assassination of Julius Caesar on the ides of March. Of course, this is only a replica of one of the most famous coin types in all ancient history:

 

But in the end, the assassins gravely underestimated their greatest enemy...

"Look, - I draw a sword against conspirators; when think you that the sword goes up again? - Never, till Caesar's three-and-thirty wounds be well avenged; or till another Caesar have added slaughter to the words of traitors." - Octavius Caesar

 

I'm glad to see you've gotten one! Very impressive and you must be absolutely thrilled!

[Limes]

50 minutes ago, CPK said:

Thanks! That is a beautiful specimen - and I like the veiled head types too, as a further reference to Caesar's religious office. Nice sharp inscriptions too. 🤩

Thank you! This was at the time, my most expensive purchase. It was before the covid pandemic and the influx of new collectors, which made it a bargain compared to prices these days. Coincidentally i had some postal issues too. At the office, someone had placed the package in 'return' bin, even though it had arrived at that same day. So it had gone back to the sender when I wanted to pick it up. Luckily, all went well, the seller had received it and shipped it again. 

When dating these issues, I like to use the great overview made by @Alegandron. I hope.he's ok with me using it here. 

RRC 480/1, Buca - January
RRC 480/2, DICT QVART - early February
RRC 480/3/4/5, CAESAR IMP - late February
RRC 480/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14, DICT PERPETVO - early to mid March
RRC 480/17/18, CAESAR IMPER - late March
RRC 480/19/20, PARENS PATRIAE - April
RRC 480/15/16, MARIDIANVS - April
RRC 480/21/22, CLEMENTIAE CAESARIS and Mark Antony - April

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

Congratulations, that's quite an accomplishment!  Not only is it an iconic type, it's also one of the more interesting reverse types.

[Ancient Coin Hunter]

This is a terrific find and glad that you got it for a fair price!

[Parthicus]

Congrats @CPK on your new coin, that is a nice, well-worn but still attractive portrait issue of JC.  I acquired my own Julius Caesar lifetime portrait denarius a couple of years ago; it lacks the DICT PERPETVO inscription, but was issued in January or early February 44 BCE, shortly before his proclamation as Perpetual Dictator:

 

[CPK]

9 hours ago, Limes said:

Thank you! This was at the time, my most expensive purchase. It was before the covid pandemic and the influx of new collectors, which made it a bargain compared to prices these days. Coincidentally i had some postal issues too. At the office, someone had placed the package in 'return' bin, even though it had arrived at that same day. So it had gone back to the sender when I wanted to pick it up. Luckily, all went well, the seller had received it and shipped it again. 

When dating these issues, I like to use the great overview made by @Alegandron. I hope.he's ok with me using it here. 

RRC 480/1, Buca - January
RRC 480/2, DICT QVART - early February
RRC 480/3/4/5, CAESAR IMP - late February
RRC 480/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14, DICT PERPETVO - early to mid March
RRC 480/17/18, CAESAR IMPER - late March
RRC 480/19/20, PARENS PATRIAE - April
RRC 480/15/16, MARIDIANVS - April
RRC 480/21/22, CLEMENTIAE CAESARIS and Mark Antony - April

I believe I came across that in my researches but forgot about it. Thanks for posting! That chart is in agreement with Alföldi's date.

[CPK]

1 minute ago, Parthicus said:

Congrats @CPK on your new coin, that is a nice, well-worn but still attractive portrait issue of JC.  I acquired my own Julius Caesar lifetime portrait denarius a couple of years ago; it lacks the DICT PERPETVO inscription, but was issued in January or early February 44 BCE, shortly before his proclamation as Perpetual Dictator:

 

Wow, very nice! Not only a great portrait but a really well-done reverse - strong strike and perfectly centered. 👍

[CPK]

Here's a question I had regarding my coin's reverse: which way is up? It seems to vary 50/50 with half showing the reverse as I did in my picture, with the clasped hands at 12 o'clock, and the other half shows the globe at 12. The reason I oriented it the way I did in the photo is because that's how it's pictured in David Sear's reference book. However the nature of the composition would suggest, to my eyes anyway, that the globe should be at 12. The inscription doesn't necessarily have to be on the bottom; having it on the side wouldn't have been unusual for a Republican-era coin.

What do you all think?

[Alegandron]

11 hours ago, Limes said:

Thank you! This was at the time, my most expensive purchase. It was before the covid pandemic and the influx of new collectors, which made it a bargain compared to prices these days. Coincidentally i had some postal issues too. At the office, someone had placed the package in 'return' bin, even though it had arrived at that same day. So it had gone back to the sender when I wanted to pick it up. Luckily, all went well, the seller had received it and shipped it again. 

When dating these issues, I like to use the great overview made by @Alegandron. I hope.he's ok with me using it here. 

RRC 480/1, Buca - January
RRC 480/2, DICT QVART - early February
RRC 480/3/4/5, CAESAR IMP - late February
RRC 480/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14, DICT PERPETVO - early to mid March
RRC 480/17/18, CAESAR IMPER - late March
RRC 480/19/20, PARENS PATRIAE - April
RRC 480/15/16, MARIDIANVS - April
RRC 480/21/22, CLEMENTIAE CAESARIS and Mark Antony - April

Thanks @Limes
 

GAIVS IVLIVS CAESAR

Minted Last TWO Weeks of his life...


Roman Imperiatorial
Julius Caesar Lifetime
P Sepullius Macer
AR Denarius, 1st 2 weeks-Mar 44 BCE, 19 mm, 4.03g.
Obv: CAESAR – DICT PERPETVO Veiled and wreathed head of Caesar R.
Rev: P·SEPVLLIVS – MACER Venus standing l., holding Victory and sceptre resting on star.
Ref: Syd 1074a Sear Imperators 107e Crawford 480-14 Rare

- minted in last two weeks of his reign, or two weeks before he was assassinated.
- veiled, as he held the offce of Pontifex Maximus for several years, and that office was very important to him personally.
- wreathed... just short of being king... big no-no
- DICT PERPETVO - yeah, he was a king... so Roman Republic inherently and culturally hated kings.
- fairly difficult to capture with the star on reverse
- reasonably centered with most/all devices and legends (this is not as important to me cuz its numismatic vs the intrinsic Historical impact.)

Alföldi arranges Crawford 480 series coins in (44 BC) month order as follows:

RRC 480/1, Buca - January
RRC 480/2, DICT QVART - early February
RRC 480/3/4/5, CAESAR IMP - late February
RRC 480/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14, DICT PERPETVO - early to mid March
RRC 480/17/18, CAESAR IMPER - late March
RRC 480/19/20, PARENS PATRIAE - April
RRC 480/15/16, MARIDIANVS - April
RRC 480/21/22, CLEMENTIAE CAESARIS and Mark Antony - April

[Alegandron]

And a huge awesome congrats @CPK !  Wow on that capture!

[Limes]

9 hours ago, CPK said:

Here's a question I had regarding my coin's reverse: which way is up? It seems to vary 50/50 with half showing the reverse as I did in my picture, with the clasped hands at 12 o'clock, and the other half shows the globe at 12. The reason I oriented it the way I did in the photo is because that's how it's pictured in David Sear's reference book. However the nature of the composition would suggest, to my eyes anyway, that the globe should be at 12. The inscription doesn't necessarily have to be on the bottom; having it on the side wouldn't have been unusual for a Republican-era coin.

What do you all think?

I think Buca should be to the right,.not bottom, and the top of the caduceus to the top. So youll have to turn it counter clockwise one quarter. Dont know if this makes sense, but I think this is the right way: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=10963428

[CPK]

6 hours ago, Limes said:

I think Buca should be to the right,.not bottom, and the top of the caduceus to the top. So youll have to turn it counter clockwise one quarter. Dont know if this makes sense, but I think this is the right way: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=10963428

Yes, that's how my eye intuitively interpreted the design. I think I might change it. Thanks!