weight 3,67gr. | silver Ø 19mm.
obv. Bare head of Marcus Antonius right, bearded,
lituus behind, M ANTON IMP before
rev. Laureate head of Julius Caesar right, capis behind,
CAESAR DIC before
Following his embarrassing defeat at Mutina (21 April 43 BC) Antonius effected a rapid withdrawal across the Alps to southern Gaul where, despite the weakness of his position, he succeeded in persuading the governor of Gallia Narbonenesis and Nearer Spain, Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, to join forces with him (29 May). With the strength of their combined armies behind him Antonius could again feel secure and his position was further improved in the late summer when his cause es espoused by Lucius Munatius Plancus, the proconsul of Gallia Comata. In the meantime Octavianus had made himself master of Rome by marching on the capital after the Senate, believing itself freed from the Caesarian threat, had foolishly tried to snub him. Antonius now saw the wisdom of entering into negotiations with the young Caesar and messages passed back and forth between Gaul and Rome. The end result was a meeting in early November between Antonius, Octavianus and Lepidus at Bononia (modern Bologna) in Cisalpine Gaul. This resulted in the formation of the Second Triumvirate, the constitutionality of which was established by the Lex Titia passed on 27 November 43 BC. With the arrival of the Triumvirs in Rome the full horror of the proscriptions was unleashed as the Caesarean leaders set about trying to raise the necessary funds for the coming military confrontation with Brutus and Cassius.
The conference between the three men at Bononia (modern Bologna), in early November 43 BC, set the seal on the formation of the Second Triumvirate, an event commemorated by this issue, struck in a mint within the security of his military camp. It clearly belongs to the period immediately following the agreement at Bononia as the form of the triumviral titulature (Rei Publicae Constantuandae which means the Restoration of the Government by this new triumvirate) is now added to the text M ANTON IMP, as used for his earlier denarii of this type, minted in April 43 BC.
By combining his portrait with that of Caesar, he wanted to emphasize that he is the rightful heir to the dictator, thereby asserting his leadership of the Caesarian party at a time when he was beginning to feel threatened by Octavianus. Doubtless the propaganda was aimed at his soldiers, the loyalty of whom might be suspect now that Caesar′s adopted son had become a factor in the political power game. A distinctive feature of this coinage is the portrait of Antonius which has a strangely elongated form, giving it something of the appearance of a caricature. Presumably, Antonius′ retinue at this time lacked the services of a die-engraver competent in the art of portraiture.
Crawford 488/1 | Sydenham 1165 | Albert 1549 | CRI.118
BMCRR Gaul 53 | Babelon Antonia 4 | Newman 43.1
Cohen 2 | Sear 1464 R
Minor bankermarks and some flatness of strike.
Very rare coin with good portraits.
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