187, Lot: 213. Estimate $100. Sold for $115. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Petillius Capitolinus. 43 BC. AR Denarius (18mm, 3.58 g, 3h). Eagle standing right on thunderbolt / Hexastyle temple with sculptural ornamentation; F-S across field. Crawford 487/2c; CRI 174b; Sydenham 1152; Petillia 4. VF, light deposits, areas of flat strike.

The reverse of this coin shows the temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus (the Best and Greatest) on the Capitoline Hill. While it has been suggested that Petillius Capitolinus may have chosen the design simply as a pun on his cognomen, it seems more likely that his family was connected to the temple in some way. Horace describes a custodian of the sanctuary with the same name who was accused of stealing from the temple.