Marcus Antonius, Lucius Antonius and M. Cocceius Nerva.

Marcus Antonius, Lucius Antonius and M. Cocceius Nerva.
Aureus, mint moving with M. Antonius circa 41, AV 8.00 g. M·ANT·IMP AVG VIR·R·P·C·M NERVA PROQ·P Bare head of M. Antonius r. Rev. L·ANTONIVS COS Bare head of Lucius Antonius r. Babelon Antonia 47 and Cocceia 1. Bahrfeldt 80 var. (III VIR). Sydenham 1184 var. (III VIR). C 2 var. (III VIR). RBW –. Crawford 517/4b.

An exceedingly rare variety, possibly only the sixth specimen known. Two

appealing portraits struck on a very broad flan, minor edge marks,

otherwise about extremely fine / good very fine



From the collection of a Mentor.

This aureus depicting the bare heads of Marcus Antonius and his youngest brother Lucius Antonius is one of the rarest of the dual-portrait coinages of the Imperatorial period. The family resemblance is uncanny, and one wonders if they truly looked this much alike, or if it is another case of portrait fusion, much like we observe with the dual-portrait billon tetradrachms of Antioch on which the face of the Egyptian queen Cleopatra VII takes on the square dimensions of Marcus Antonius. When Antonius fled Rome to separate himself from Octavian and to take up his governorship in Gaul, Lucius went with him, and suffered equally from the siege of Mutina. This coin, however, was struck in a later period, when Lucius had for a second time taken up arms against Octavian in the west. Marcus Antonius was already in the east, and that is the region from which this coinage emanates. Since Lucius lost the 'Perusine War' he waged against Octavian, and subsequently was appointed to an office in Spain, where he died, it is likely that he never even saw one of his portrait coins. Crawford has "misgivings", yet in a coinage riddled with cacography, a simple scribal error as here is almost predictable. The die-engraver, instead of mindlessly copying his model, paused to think about what he was doing and started to make AVGVR which he was obliged, when he returned to his senses, to continue as AVGVIR, omitting III for lack of space. The early imperial bronze coinage abounds in such errors.