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Moneyer issues of Imperatorial Rome. L. Servius Rufus. 43 BC. AR Denarius (22mm, 3.76 g, 6h). Uncertain Sicilian mint. Bare head (of Brutus?) right; L · SERVIVS RVFVS around / The Dioscuri standing facing, each holding spear and with sword hanging from waist. Crawford 515/2; CRI 324; Sydenham 1082; Sulpicia 10; BMCRR Rome 4205; Kestner 3789; RBW 1793. Lightly toned, light marks, area of weak strike at edge. VF.
Ex Historical Scholar Collection; Numismatica Ars Classica M (20 March 2002), lot 2548; Birkler & Waddell IV (9 December 1982), lot 410.
The portrait on this type, issued during the confused period between the assassination of Julius Caesar in March of 44 BC and the formation of the Second Triumvirate in November 43 BC, is almost certainly that of Marcus Junius Brutus, Caesar’s lead assassin. Crawford assigned the date as 41 BC, which was followed by Sear; this was corrected to 43 by B. Woytek in Arma et Nummi (Vienna, 2003), pp. 433-445. In this context, the striking of a coin clearly favoring the anti-Caesarian faction seems to have been part of a Senatorial strategy aimed at hedging bets against all possible outcomes in the looming civil war. The moneyer, L. Servilius Rufus, is only known from his coins; as part of the Tresviri Monetales for the year, he clearly chose to favor the assassins, while the other two, M. Arrius Secundus and C. Numonius Vaala, struck coins with portraits resembling the young Octavian and the deceased Caesar (or possibly the current senior consul, Aulus Hirtius), respectively. Notably lacking is a portrait resembling Mark Antony, who was currently in rebellion against all the other factions. All of these coins are rare, indicating a rather limited issue, versus the extraconstitutional coinage being rapidly hammered out by the opposing sides in the buildup to war. The portrait on Rufus’s issue has also been assigned to an ancestor, Servius Sulpicius Rufus, but there is little or no basis for this attribution. Its close resemblance to surviving portrait busts and coins of Brutus, including the famous Eid Mar type, leaves little doubt of the subject’s true identity. As such it is the most affordable available coin type with a contemporary portrait of Brutus. Intriguingly, with Woytek’s dating, it seems clear this is also the first numismatic portrait of Brutus, anticipating the Eid Mar and other issues of Brutus by about a year.
The final winners of all CNG Feature Auction 123 lots will be determined during the live online sale that will be held on 23-24 May 2023. This lot is in Session Two, which will begin 23 May 2023 at 2 PM 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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