AR denarius P. Crepusius, Rome 82 B.C.

Silver coin well centered on both sides; Publius Crepusius, republican moneyer, known only from his coins. What we know of him and his family is practically limited to a single short statement: he was one third of the triumvir monetalis in 82-81 BC. On the obverse of this denarius, laureate head of Apollo facing right; behind a scepter over shoulder and control mark, N; before, another control mark below chin, a staff with hook. On the reverse is inscribed P.CREPVSI in exergue, a horseman rearing right, brandishing spear with his right hand, and a control mark CCCLXXVII behind the raider. Border of dots on obsverse and reverse. Peculiarity of this type of coins, Crepusius’ denarii have the most carefully designed control mark systems of all Republican coinage. No two obverse dies could share the same letter-symbol combination and no two reverse dies could share the same sequence number.

Date: 82 BC.

Parallels: London, British Museum 1867,0101.1244, 1901,0407.282, 1901,0407.286, 1901,0407.289, 1901,0407.293, 1904,0204.63, 2002,0102.2886, 2002,0102.2902, 2002,0102.2921, 2002,0102.2929, 2002,0102.2949, 2002,0102.2953, 2002,0102.2980, 2002,0102.2983, 2002,0102.3002, R.8372, R.8381; Cambridge, Harvard Art Museums 1976.79.1006.

References: Hersh, C. A. “Sequence marks on the denarii of Publius Crepusius”, The Numismatic Chronicle and Journal of the Royal Numismatic Society 12, no. 42 (1952): 52–66; Crawford, M. H., “Control-Marks and the Organization of the Roman Republican Mint”, Papers of the British School at Rome 34, 1966, pp. 18–23; Grueber, H. A., Coins of the Roman Republic in the British Museum: vol. 1 aes rude, aes signatum, aes grave, and coinage of Rome from B.C. 268, London: British Museum, 1970, p. 341; Crawford, M. H., Roman Republican Coinage, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1974, 360 and 361, pp. 374-375; Buttrey, T. V., "The denarii of P. Crepusius and Roman republication mint organization", Museum Notes (American Numismatic Society) , 1976, Vol. 21, pp. 67-108; Ghey, E., Leins, I. & Crawford, M. H., A catalogue of the Roman Republican Coins in the British Museum, with descriptions and chronology based on M.H. Crawford, Roman Republican Coinage (1974), London: British Museum, 2010; Witschonke, R., "The Use of Die Marks on Roman Republican Coinage", Revue Belge de Numismatique et de sigillographie, CLVIII (2012), p. 65-86.

Photo by Steve Morton