Gaius (Caligula), with Divus Augustus. AD 37-41. AR Denarius (18.5mm, 3.68 g, 5h). Lugdunum (Lyon) mint. 2nd emission, AD 37-38. EF.

CNG Feature Auction 132
Lot: 16.
Closing Date: May 19 2026 11:00 ET

The PLZ Collection, Silver

Estimate: $ 20 000

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Gaius (Caligula), with Divus Augustus. AD 37-41. AR Denarius (18.5mm, 3.68 g, 5h). Lugdunum (Lyon) mint. 2nd emission, AD 37-38. C • CAESAR • AVG • GERM • P • M • TR • POT, laureate head of Gaius (Caligula) right / DIVVS • AVG • PATER • PATRIAE •, radiate head of Divus Augustus right. RIC I 16; Lyon 167/9 (D96/R93 – this coin cited); RSC 2; BMCRE 17; BN 21; CNR XIII 45 (this coin). Attractive cabinet toning. EF.

From the PLZ Collection. Ex Triton XII (6 January 2009), lot 547; R. Laughlin Collection (A. Hess, 18 December 1933), lot 368.

Coinage during Caligula’s four-year reign focused almost exclusively on his family. His types in silver and gold included: Divus Augustus (as here); Agrippina the Elder, his mother; Germanicus, his father; and the oak wreath or Corona Civica, another reference to Augustus. His bronze coinage types are more diverse, extending the number of family members to include his deceased brothers, his three sisters (see lot 17), and Marcus Agrippa, his maternal grandfather.

As his great-grandfather Augustus did with Divus Julius Caesar, Gaius had coins struck depicting his own portrait backed by a deified ancestor, in this case Divus Augustus himself. The coin here is from the second emission which includes the legend DIVVS AVG PATER PATRIAE. The first emission, without the legend, was more ambiguous: it is anepigraphic, the inclusion of stars argue for recent divinity (Augustus had been deified 23 years earlier), and the features on some of these first emission coins somewhat resemble those of Tiberius. Combined with the historical evidence that Gaius had personally given Tiberius' funeral oration and had asked the Senate to consider deification for Tiberius, this suggests that Gaius was testing the idea. The Senate, however, refused to pursue the matter further, and the portrait was soon altered to more closely resemble Divus Augustus and include the appropriate legend.

The offered coin has wonderful old cabinet toning as would be expected with this extensive provenance. Both portraits are of excellent style.

The final winners of all CNG Feature Auction 132 lots will be determined at the live online sale that will be held on 18-19 May 2026.

CNG Feature Auction 132 – Session One – Lot 1-318 will be held Monday morning, 18 May 2026 beginning at 9:00 AM ET.

Winning bids are subject to a 22.5% buyer's fee for bids placed on this website and 25% for all others.

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