The Defeat of the Allobroges

281, Lot: 259. Estimate $200. Sold for $1100. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

M. Furius L.f. Philus. 120 BC. AR Denarius (19mm, 3.86 g, 11h). Rome mint. Laureate and bearded head of Janus / Roma standing left, holding scepter and wreath; to left, trophy of Gallic arms flanked by a carnyx and shield on each side; star above. Crawford 281/1; Sydenham 529; Furia 18. Near EF, lightly toned.

One of the few denarii in the Republican series to refer to a contemporary event, this reverse alludes to the defeat of the Allobroges by Q. Fabius Maximus in 120 BC, leading to their subjugation and the annexation of Gallia Narbonensis as a new Roman province.