420, Lot: 417. Estimate $100. Sold for $170. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

C. Licinius L.f. Macer. 84 BC. Æ As (27.1mm, 11.94 g, 6h). Rome mint. Laureate head of bearded Janus; I (mark of value) above / Prow of galley right, surmounted by male figure standing facing, holding staff; EX–S•C flanking figure. Crawford 354/3a; Sydenham 734; Type as RBW 1356. Good VF, dark brown surfaces, flan flaws.

From the Andrew McCabe Collection, purchased from Numismatica Ars Classica, 2011.

A type that is almost impossible to find better preserved than this, due to the erratic quality of the flans they are produced on. At least in this instance, the soldier standing on the deck and the legend EX S.C. are perfectly clear. I believe this is the first instance in Roman times that S.C. was used on a bronze rather than a silver coin. [A. McCabe]