JULIUS CAESAR (49 B.C.) - Lot 644

JULIUS CAESAR (49 B.C.) Elephant trampling a snake. Reverse: Priestly emblems. Cr 443. Syd 1006 Silver denarius. Itinerant mint. (4.00 g) Very fine specimen. Julius Caesar and his armies gathered on the banks of the Rubicon on January 10, 49 BC, ready to invade Italy. Since large quantities of denarii were needed to cover Caesar’s military expenses, the coins traveled with them. This issue was commissioned not by a mint master, as was customary, but by Julius Caesar himself. The obverse clearly depicts the triumph of good over evil—a numismatic propaganda piece intended to encourage Caesar’s soldiers during the long and intense campaign. Provenance: former collection of Charles LAQUIEZE (1898–1989), Bordeaux, passed down through the family. Appraiser: Cabinet Vinchon, Tel: +33 (0)01 42 97 50 00 - vinchon@wanadoo.fr