Res Publica Coin Gallery

Roman Republic Æ Sextans(4.58 grams, 20.67 mm). Caius Aurunculeius Cotta, Praetor of Sardinia, 209 BC. Sardinian mint. Head of Mercury right. above, •• / Prow right; above, ROMA; before AVR monogram; •• below. Crawford 65/6; Sydenham 162d; Russo RBW 277.

Privately purchased from WCNC Online(Teresa Darling) via eBay, 10/17/2015, Ex FJ Rath, Youngstown, NY, list #5 11-30-1970, lot 69.


This is one of the few instances where an early Roman Republic coin can be tied to a specific year because the Sardinian Praetors of 211-209 BC are recorded as Cornelius, Manlius and Aurunculeius and conveniently a series of 3 issues, each of similar style and fabric, commonly overstruck on Sardo-Punic and primarily found on Sardinia, are mint marked with C, MA and AVR. This sextans is from the 'AVR' series, thought to have been struck under Sardinian Praetor of 209 B.C., Caius Aurunculeius Cotta. See here for an example of the related C issue of L Cornelius Lentulus, Sardinian Praetor of 211 B.C..

Posted on

Thursday 14 January 2016

Tags

avr, bronze, gens.aurunculeia, mercury, monogram, prow, sardinian.mint, sextans

Albums

• Height of the Second Punic War and the Earliest Denarii, circa 218 B.C.-206 B.C.