2 Celtic Gaul and 2 Roman Prototypes

[bill]

I'm specializing one sub-collection in the Celtic coins of Pixtilos from the Carnutes region and their Roman Republic prototypes. I recently added 2 Republican denarius (I don't know the plural, denari?) pictured below with their Celtic counterparts.

 

First, Class I, Pixtilos, Griffon attacking, 40 - 30 B.C. (La Tour 7064)

 

 

Its not the best example, but its a rare coin. I bid high, but not high enough on the last nicer piece I saw at auction. I hoped to upgrade, but I'm going to have to spend more than I ariginally thought to do so when the next opportunity comes along. The obverse bust is believed to be modelled after the head of Venus on a denarius struck by Julius Caesar during his African campaign in 47 - 46 B.C. (Crawford 458/1). I had my choice of two nice pieces. I took one with a banker's mark, it saved me a few hundred and I liked the evidence of use since it didn't detract from the portrait (my primary interest).

 

 

The second Pixtilos piece is one I posted a few months ago. Class V with seated goddess on the reverse, 40 - 30 B.C. (La Tour 7058)

 

 

Its a much niver example than the previous piece. Its prototype is rarer than the Caesar denarius, but I found a nice example from an old Swedish collection at the San Francisco Historical Bourse. The denarius of Sabinus features King Tatius. It was minted in 70 B.C. in Rome (Crawford 404/1). It has a planchet fault about 11 o'clock. It doesn't disrupt the portrait and it knocked a $1,000 off the price. It was a nice find. I saw two others at the show, both well centered on good planchets for $1,300 to $1,500. I'm happy with mine.

 

[Art]

Very nice finds. I'd agree with you that the "banker's mark" adds to the coin rather than detracts, especially with the placement of this particular mark.

[Ian]

All very nice coins. There's a certain `kick' we all get when we come across a scarce coin that we've been on the lookout for, so I can imagine how you feel.

 

I must say though that as far as `eye candy' is concerned, I like the one struck by Julius Caesar the best. Mainly because i'm more into silver coinage than anything else though, and because I have less of an understanding of the history behind the opthers.

 

Ian