| Heritage World Coin Auctions > CSNS Signature Sale 3115 | Auction date: 8 May 2024 |
| Lot number: 31046 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction - Bid on this lot  | Show similar lots on CoinArchives Find similar lots in upcoming auctions on  |
| Lot description: Ancients Marc Antony and Octavian, as Imperators and Triumvirs (43-33 BC), with Marcus Barbatius Pollio, as Quaestor Propraetor. AV aureus (20mm, 7.98 gm, 12h). NGC Choice Fine 5/5 - 4/5. Ephesus, Spring-Summer 41 BC. M•ANT•IMP AVG III VIR•R•P C M BARBAT•Q•P (MP and AV ligate), bare head of Marc Antony right / CAESAR•IMP•PONT•III•VIR•R•P•C•, bare head of Octavian right with manicured hair and long sideburn. Calicó 109. Crawford 517/1a. Sydenham 1180. Very rare. This wonderful specimen boasts a sunflower-golden flan, complemented by the jovial portraits of the two imperators, before the eventual fallout. Following the murder of Julius Caesar, power fell into the hands of Marc Antony, Caesar's loyal lieutenant and commander of cavalry. However, Antony's position was soon challenged from an unexpected direction when Caesar's 18-year-old grand-nephew, Gaius Octavius, arrived in Rome to claim his legacy as Caesar's heir. The youth proved unnaturally canny at securing the loyalty of Caesar's followers and undermining Antony's authority. By 43 BC, Octavian had actually induced the Senate to declare Antony a public enemy, but quickly reversed himself and struck a deal with Antony by which they would share supreme power with a third broker, Lepidus, with the ultimate aim of hunting down Caesar's assassins. With this task accomplished, Lepidus soon faded into the background, leaving Octavian and Antony to rule the Roman world jointly for the better part of a decade until their inevitable falling out. This aureus, struck in mid-41 BC in the eastern half of the Empire ruled by Antony, putting the political situation in stark terms, with Antony and Octavian, still sporting youthful long sideburns, on opposite sides. While Antony occupies the dominant obverse, Octavian calls himself by the magical name Caesar linking himself forever to his adopted father's lineage, creating a title which would claimed by all future Roman emperors. https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/roman-republic/ancients-marc-antony-and-octavian-as-imperators-and-triumvirs-43-33-bc-with-marcus-barbatius-pollio-as-quaestor/a/3115-31046.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-3115-05082024 HID02906262019 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved Estimate: 15000-20000 USD |  |
