Sale: Nomos 2, Lot: 162. Estimate CHF20000.  Closing Date: Monday, 17 May 2010.  Sold For CHF45000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Divus Julius Caesar. Denarius (Silver, 4.09 g 5), struck under the magistrate Q. Voconius Vitulus, circa 40 BC. Laureate head of Julius Caesar to right. Rev. C. VOCONIVS / S C /VITVLVS.Q. / DESIGN Calf standing left. Babelon (Julia) 121, (Voconia) 1. Crawford 526/4. CRI 331. Sydenham 1133. A lovely coin with an outstanding portrait of Caesar. Lightly toned and most attractive, extremely fine.

The posthumous portraits of Julius Caesar vary greatly in their quality, even within a single issue. This is a dramatically emotional head and was certainly engraved by a master portraitist. Another example struck from the same obverse die appeared as UBS 78, 2008, lot 1186 (while not as good as the present piece it sold for ten times its pre-sale estimate!).