Gaius (Caligula), with Divus Augustus. AD 37-41. AR Denarius (20mm, 3.39 g, 12h). Lugdunum (Lyon) mint. 1st emission, after 18 March AD 37. Near VF.

CNG Feature Auction 124
Lot: 602. Estimated: $ 2 000

Roman Imperial, Coin-in-Hand Video, Silver

Sold For $ 2 625. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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Gaius (Caligula), with Divus Augustus. AD 37-41. AR Denarius (20mm, 3.39 g, 12h). Lugdunum (Lyon) mint. 1st emission, after 18 March AD 37. Bare head of Gaius (Caligula) right / Radiate head of Divus Augustus right; two stars flanking. RIC I 2 (Rome mint); Lyon 157 (unlisted dies); RSC 11 (Caligula and Augustus). Porosity, scratches. Near VF.

As his great-grandfather Augustus did with Divus Julius Caesar, Gaius had coins struck which included a deified ancestor, in this case Divus Augustus. While later emissions of this type leave no doubt, since the legend DIVVS AVG PATER PATRIAE is included, this earlier denarius, struck in the opening months of the new reign, is more ambiguous: it is anepigraphic, the inclusion of stars argue for recent divinity (Augustus had been deified 23 years earlier), and the features on some of these coins somewhat resemble those of Tiberius. Combined with the historical evidence that Gaius had personally given Tiberius' funeral oration and had asked the Senate to consider deification for Tiberius, this suggests that Gaius was testing the idea. The Senate, however, refused to pursue the matter further, and the portrait was soon altered to more closely resemble Divus Augustus.

The final winners of all CNG Feature Auction 124 lots will be determined during the live online sale that will be held on 19-20 September 2023. This lot is in Session Three, which will begin 20 September at 9 AM ET.

Winning bids are subject to a 22.5% buyer's fee for bids placed on this website and 25% for all others.

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