54, Lot: 94. Estimate $300. Sold for $180. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

JULIUS CAESAR. 49-48 BC. AR Denarius (3.64 gm). CAESAR, Elephant right, trampling on serpent / Simpulum, aspergillum, axe (surmounted by a dog's head), and apex (priest's hat). Crawford 443/1; CRI 9; Sydenham 1006; RSC 49. Good fine, bankers' marks. ($300)

This is the first coin struck in the name of Julius Caesar. The symbolism on the obverse apparently alludes to the conquest of good over evil - or of force over stealth (Caesar's victory over the Gauls), while the reverse alludes to Caesar's office of Pontifex Maximus.