Pre-Long Beach Auction #80

C. Calpurnius Piso L.f. Frugi. Silver Denarius (3.83 g), 61 BC. Rome. Laureate head of Apollo right; behind, Φ. Reverse C PISO L F FRVG, nude horseman wearing conical hat galloping right; above, sword. Crawford 408/1a (dies 33/1038); Hersh 89 (O33/R1038); Sydenham 846; Calpurnia 24j. Boldly struck in high relief and lustrous. A superb example. Nearly Mint State.

A collector could spend a lifetime assembling the many varieties and various symbol combinations of the coins of C. Calpurnius Piso L.f. Frugi, and even then it is doubtful whether he would ever near completion. The types of Apollo and racing horseman refer to the Apolline Games first instituted in 212 BC under the moneyer's ancestor, P. Cornelius Sulla. The moneyer later became quaestor in 58 BC, but is perhaps most known as the husband of Tullia, the beloved daughter of the famous orator and statesman, Cicero.
Estimated Value $900 - 1,000.
Ex LHS 100 (23-24 April 2007), 398; NAC 10 (9 April 1997), 515.