Hewitt Plate Coin

Sale: Triton XII, Lot: 563. Estimate $10000.  Closing Date: Monday, 5 January 2009.  Sold For $14000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Clodius Macer. Usurper, AD 68. AR Denarius (3.41 g, 6h). Carthage mint. L CLODI MAC-RI, S C across field, Libertas standing facing, head left, holding pileus in right hand and patera in left / MAC-RIANA LI-B, LEG I across field, aquila between two signa. RIC I 20; Hewitt group D/2, 30 (O17/19 – this coin illustrated); RSC 2; BMCRE p. 286, *; BN 5. VF, toned, minor marks, traces of undertype, shallow test cut on edge. Extremely rare. One of only seven examples known of this type.

From the Gordon S. Parry Collection. Ex ANA Centennial Sale of Ancient Greek and Roman Coins (Numismatic Fine Arts XXVI, 14 August 1991), lot 221; Leu 20 (25 April 1978), lot 246.

Clodius Macer was propraetor in Africa. As opposition to Nero grew and the power of the central government dwindled, Macer acted as little more than a pirate, sweeping the north African coast hoping to increase his power by cutting into the grain supplies of Rome. By April of 68, Macer had decided not to support Galba, and in June when Nero committed suicide, Macer began striking coins in his own name. All of Macer’s coins are of rather crude style, an indication of the lack of skilled die engravers and the haste at which they were produced. By October, Galba had solidified his power in Rome and ordered Macer’s execution. All of Macer’s coins are extremely rare, with fewer than 85 coins of all types known.