| Leu Numismatik AG > Web Auction 28 | Auction date: 9 December 2023 |
| Lot number: 3081 Price realized: 520 CHF (Approx. 591 USD / 549 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | Show similar lots on CoinArchives Find similar lots in upcoming auctions on  |
| Lot description: L. Hostilius Saserna, 48 BC. Denarius (Silver, 18 mm, 3.70 g, 1 h), Rome. Draped male bust (Vercingetorix?) with wild hair and long plaited beard to right; cloak around neck and Gallic shield behind. Rev. L•HOSTILIVS - SASER[N] Nude Gallic warrior, holding shield in his left hand and hurling spear with his right, standing left in a galloping biga being driven to right by a seated charioteer holding a whip. Babelon (Hostilia) 2. Crawford 448/2a. RBW 1569. Sydenham 952. Areas of weakness and light marks, otherwise, good fine. The bust on the obverse of this issue has long been identified as that of Vercingetorix, the famous chief of the Arverni and Caesar's greatest foe in his conquest of Gaul. However, there is no clear evidence for this, and the image most likely serves as a personification of the defeated Gaul in general. Yet the individuality of the portrait does suggest that it was modelled after a specific person. Vercingetorix, who was the most famous Celtic prisoner of war and who was incarcerated in Rome until his execution in 46 BC, seems the most likely candidate. Starting price: 50 CHF |  |
