| Davissons, Ltd. > Auction 43 | Auction date: 20 March 2024 |
| Lot number: 107 Price realized: 750 USD (Approx. 691 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | Show similar lots on CoinArchives Find similar lots in upcoming auctions on  |
| Lot description: ROMAN REPUBLICAN. C. Mamilius Limetanus. 82 B.C. AR serrate denarius. 3.95 gm. 19 mm. Rome mint. Draped bust of Mercury right, wearing winged petasus; to left, N above caduceus / Ulysses walking right, holding staff and extending hand toward his dog, Argus; C MAMIL LIME(TA)N. Crawford 362/1. Sydenham 741. RSC Mamilia 6. RBW 1370 var. (control). Very Fine; lustrous old toning with iridescence; well centered on a broad flan. Attractive coin. Fine style. Purchased from David Sear. Ulysses' faithful dog Argus waited years for his master to return from Troy. When Ulysses returned, it was in disguise in order to ambush a group of suitors that had taken up residence in his house while attempting to woo his wife Penelope. In contrast to his youth Argus is now old and ailing, laying neglected on a dung heap outside. He alone recognizes Ulysses through his disguise, though he is too weak to do much more than wag his tail. In order to maintain his disguise Ulysses must keep his distance, though he dashes a tear from his eye. Perhaps the reverse of this coin shows how they would've greeted one another, given the chance. With this final reunion, Argus "passed into the darkness of death, now that he had fulfilled his destiny of faith and seen his master once more after twenty years." (Homer's Odyssey, Book 17, lines 290-327) Estimate: 500 USD |  |
