Extremely Rare Final Issue

Sale: CNG 78, Lot: 1723. Estimate $3000.  Closing Date: Wednesday, 14 May 2008.  Sold For $4490. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Gaius (Caligula). AD 37-41. AR Denarius (3.62 g, 5h). Rome mint. Struck January AD 41. C CAESAR • AVG • PON • M • TR • POT IIII COS • IIII, laureate head right / S • P• Q • R •/P P/OB • C • S • in three lines within oak wreath. RIC I -; RIC I (1st ed.) 7 = BMCRE 32 = RSC 23a. VF, lightly toned, scattered marks, minor porosity. Extremely rare final issue, the third known.

Ex Triton IX (10 January 2006), lot 1392.

Although the first of these three rare coins, the British Museum piece, was cataloged in the first edition of RIC I, it was left out of the revised edition. In that edition, Giard notes (p. 110, note *) that the BM piece was a misreading of TR POT III COS III. In fact, the first edition was correct, the piece was not misdescribed. The second known example of this type was sold as lot 56 in the Bourgey sale of 17 December 1913. Ironically, Bourgey misdescribed that coin as TR POT III COS III.