P. Plautius Hypsaeus. 57 BC. AR Denarius (17.5mm, 4.05 g, 5h). Rome mint. Near EF.

Electronic Auction 563
Lot: 679. Estimated: $ 200

Roman Republican, Silver

Sold For $ 225. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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P. Plautius Hypsaeus. 57 BC. AR Denarius (17.5mm, 4.05 g, 5h). Rome mint. Head of Neptune right; trident to left / Jupiter, holding reins and hurling thunderbolt, driving galloping quadriga left. Crawford 420/1a; Sydenham 910; Plautia 11; RBW 1513. Attractively toned with iridescence, pair of bankers’ marks, a couple light edge marks. Near EF.

This issue of P. Plautius Hypsaeus provides an interesting look at the liberties taken by various die engravers in the Roman Republican period. The horses leading the quadriga on the reverse are nicely depicted except that only the foreground horse has a complete body. The remaining three horses have heads which seem to be floating above their front legs. This issue is known from many reverse dies, all with the same details. Therefore, this omission of horse bodies was clearly intentional to both simplify the engravers work and unclutter the design visually.


Closing Date and Time: 5 June 2024 at 13:46:00 ET.

All winning bids are subject to a 20% buyer’s fee.