147, Lot: 175. Estimate $200. Sold for $310. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Julius Caesar. 45 BC. Æ Dupondius (27mm, 14.87 g). North Italian mint. C. Clovius, Prefect. Draped bust of Victory right; star behind / Minerva walking left, holding trophy over shoulder, spear, and shield, decorated with Medusa; erect serpent at feet left. Crawford 476/1a; RPC I 601/1; CRI 62. Near VF, natural river surfaces.

Ex Glendining’s (25 June 1997), lot 45.

This example represents the first time that orichalchum ("mountain copper"), or brass was used to strike coins and commemorates Caesar's victory in Spain. For the first time in almost forty years, aes coinage was reintroduced, and one may suspect that, as in the case of contemporary Pompeian issues from Spain, the reason was to recall traditional republican ideas. The style of those coins draws its inspiration from the traditional Janus types. Caesar, however, was completely new, not only in the material, but also the theme. Here, the bust of Victory for the obverse and Minerva for the reverse, sends a clear message about Caesar's military abilities. Who the prefect Clovius is, what prefecture he held, or from what mint these coins originate remain matters still open to debate, though hoard finds suggest a northern Italian origin, possibly Milan.